Get to Know: Tomball High School's Valedictorian & Salutatorian

Tomball High School will honor its Class of 2021 at NRG Stadium on Saturday, May 29 at 9 AM. 

Representing the senior class as its Valedictorian and Salutatorian are James Klein and Aarushi Panjwani, respectively.

James Klein
Tomball High School 
Valedictorian

What are your plans after you graduate from Tomball High School?
After my graduation from Tomball High School, I will attend Texas A&M University, where I have been accepted into the Business Honors program at the Mays Business School. My major will be business honors with a focus in finance.

What has been the best part about attending Tomball High School?
The best part about attending Tomball High School has been the community of teachers and students that work together to ensure the success of one another. Although I am graduating with over 500 students in my class, I feel that I know most people on a personal level and want to support them in their pursuits, just as they have supported me in mine. My teachers not only knew their subjects and taught me well, but they genuinely care about their students and are interested in developing the character of their students as much as their academics.

What will you miss the most about high school?
I will most miss going to Whataburger with my friends after football games and waiting for 11 p.m. when the breakfast menu started, so we could get honey butter chicken biscuits. The restaurant would never have an empty seat and we were all able to just enjoy just hanging out together and being kids.

What did you learn from your high school experience that you will take with you into college?
I came to Tomball High School from a Christian grade school, so I quickly learned how to make friends with people who were previously complete strangers to me. This same set of skills will serve me well in college when I join a campus of over 60,000 students who come from all over the nation and have varying interests.

Who would you like to thank?
I would like to thank my parents for encouraging me to challenge myself academically from the time I was little. They taught me to love learning and provided me with many resources and varied opportunities allowing me to be successful in anything that I wished to pursue. I also want to thank God for blessing me with intelligence; I hope to use it to glorify Him each and every day.

Aarushi Panjwani
Tomball High School 
Salutatorian

What are your plans after you graduate from Tomball High School?
I plan to pursue a Bachelors of Business Administration through the Canfield Business Honors Program as well as a Certificate in Spanish at the University of Texas at Austin. Ultimately, I hope to become a technology consultant, working towards solving business problems using technology and helping build a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse workplace environment.

What has been the best part about attending Tomball High School?
For sure, the best part about attending Tomball High School would be its community. In addition to the diverse course and club offerings, teachers and staff throughout Tomball High School were nothing short of encouraging, welcoming, and devoted to improving each student's education. Through a combination of diverse clubs and courses, I was able to form valuable relationships and memories with students and teachers that greatly shaped my overall high school experience.

What will you miss the most about high school?
Once again, I will miss the community. I know wherever I am, it will be hard to replicate Tomball's nurturing and encouraging learning environment. Not to mention, I will very dearly miss all of my friends and teachers that make up the Tomball High School community and have shaped me to be who I am today.

What did you learn from your high school experience that you will take with you into college?
In addition to academics, I believe the time management skills I learned and practiced throughout high school will prove to be very useful in college.

Who would you like to thank?
I would like to thank my parents, Manish and Manju Panjwani, who constantly motivated me and provided me with advice to reach my goals over the past four years. I would also like to thank the incredible Tomball High School teaching, administrative, and ancillary staff who made my high school experience so impactful.

ABOUT TOMBALL INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Tomball ISD educates students to become responsible, productive citizens by providing innovative, individually rigorous, and personally valuable educational experiences. Founded in 1908, Tomball ISD now encompasses 83 square miles in northwest Harris County and southwest Montgomery County, and is located approximately 30 miles from downtown Houston. The district currently educates over 19,000 students at 21 campuses.