Ahead of the class

Wendy Batson has her head in the humanities. Swathi Bhaskaran has hers in engineering. Together, they are Hickman High School’s top two students academically in the class of 2006.

Both Batson, the valedictorian, and Bhaskaran, the salutatorian, will stay in-state for college. Batson will attend Truman State Uni­-

ver­sity with plans to major in English and mi-

nor in art history; she would like to edit a book or magazine someday. Bhaskaran will go to MU to major in chemical engineering and thinks she might go into some aspect of biochemistry.

Both students bring an impressive list of honors and activities to their future universities with them. However, the two graduates differ vastly in their interests and goals.

Batson’s focus during her time at Hickman has been on the humanities. “Wendy loves to read,” said her mother, Linda Batson. “She’s very eclectic with her reading, pretty much any topic — open to all different avenues. It’s never been a chore for her to pick up a book and read it.”

This year, Wendy Batson has been the editor of the student literary magazine, the Hickman Review. She has a passion for art as well and said having her artwork — ceramics and jewelry — on display at Hickman was one of her proudest achievements.

Batson said Hickman provided her with a good learning environment and great teachers. “I know it sounds like a cliché, but they really just helped to make learning fun,” she said.

Outside of school, Batson lists her mother as an important influence in her academic success. For her part, Linda Batson said her daughter is focused, diligent, dedicated and willing to tackle challenges head-on.

Attending Hickman sparked Batson’s interest in philosophy and religion, and she plans to continue studying both. “I look forward to going to school and furthering my education,” she said. “That’s the most important thing to me.”

Bhaskaran, on the other hand, has focused on math and science during her high school career at Hickman. She took part in Science Olympiads and was a member of Hickman’s Math Team. This year, she was ranked second nationally with her Hickman teammates at the TEAM+S competition at MU, an engineering competition that tests students on their proficiency in mathematics and science.

Bhaskaran has received the prestigious Siemschens Advanced Placement Scholarship and has an Engineering Dean’s Scholarship from MU.

Bhaskaran was born in Trichy, India, and raised in Bangalore until she moved with her family to the U.S. at age 13. They first moved briefly to Buffalo, N.Y., before settling in Columbia.

Bhaskaran and her mother, Vasanthy Bhaskaran, both said the girl’s determination to succeed is partially due to her childhood in India. “Schooling in India is very competitive,” Vasanthy Bhaskaran said. “One has to be very competent to succeed.”

Bhaskaran’s mother said her daughter’s work ethic is integral to her success. “Once she comes home, she just relaxes for a few minutes and then starts on her work,” Vasanthy Bhaskaran said. Her daughter put in many late nights of study throughout her high school career.

Swathi Bhaskaran chose MU over the University of Missouri-Rolla, which has a strong engineering base, because it’s closer to home and, therefore, more affordable. Although she will still live at home, Bhaskaran anticipates greater independence on campus.

“It’s not going to be so structured” as high school, she said. “I’m looking forward to being able to choose my own classes.”