Cragen valedictorian, Ohstrom salutatorian at Farragut High
Farragut High School Class of 2021’s valedictorian and salutatorian are Blake Cragen and Magdalena Ohstrom, respectively.
Cragen has a 4.78 weighted grade-point average and an unweighted GPA of 4.0.
He also was named to the Dean’s List last summer at Pellissippi State Community College, where he has been enrolled since early 2020.
At FHS, Cragen was named a National Merit Finalist and, along with two friends, won a NASA Student Spaceflight Experiments Program competition.
Letters of recommendation shared by Katie King, FHS college and career counselor, noted “Blake has been participating in math and science competitions since Algebra 1 in eighth grade, and enjoys math and science because of their application to the real world and how they explain most things about the world around us.
“What also draws me towards science is that it is not man-made,” Cragen said. “No human decided that gravity was a certain downward acceleration; it is an element of nature that humans decided to quantify.
“We cannot simply change how math works or how science works,” he added. “We can only add to our knowledge of the world around us or come up with new ways to solve different problems. While this aspect of math and science may often seem to constrain people, I find it a lot more appealing.”
Cragen said he started taking classes at Pellissippi last spring “to see what dual enrollment was going to be like. It was after our school had gotten out for COVID. and it was quite literally because I had nothing better to do and wanted to keep up academically. I also like government, so I decided to take that class.
“During the summer, I took five classes at Pellissippi and two classes at ETSU for governor’s school,” he added.
Additionally, “I had taken the highest math classes Farragut had, and the only way to go higher was to go through a local college,” Cragen said. “So in the fall, I took three math classes through Pellissippi on top of four Farragut classes,” doing it “mostly because I just really like math.”
He also received awards thorough Mu Alpha Theta (MAO) state and has been heavily involved in MAO at FHS, where this year he served as club secretary.
Cragen also is a member of Health Occupational Students of America, Science Club/Bowl and has been a three-year member of the Student Government Association.
“Being valedictorian was something that I didn’t necessarily aspire for,” he said. “It’s a nice title and a big accomplishment of course, but all the work that was required to get the title was not worth the title alone.
“When our administration pulled the top 10 aside and told us that we had gotten top 10, they also told us that having the titles didn’t mean nearly as much as what we got out of getting to that point,” Cragen added.
“As for what it means to me, I would say that our principals and counselors summed it up very well in saying the journey towards the title meant a lot more than the title itself. It also is a reminder of what I have done in high school and the work that has been put in to get me where I am today.”
Cragen plans to attend Georgia Tech beginning this summer after graduation, where he will major in biomedical engineering.
“As of right now I would like to go on to medical school and specialize in neurosurgery, but that may be subject to change,” he said.
Cragen is the son of Michael Bobo and Allison Cragen, both of whom encouraged his achievements. “My family definitely pushed me to do well in school — my mom especially,” he said. “... But with that said, how much she pushes me and the amount of time she puts into helping me just shows her love as a parent.”
Cragan said Bobo “also helped tremendously. He is a lot like me and shares a lot of my interests. ...”
Ohstrom
Ohstrom has a weighted GPA of 4.77.
“Taking an AP-filled course load has been challenging but rewarding,” she said. “It was an awesome surprise to find out I was salutatorian. It hasn’t been a long-time goal, but seeing my time in high school pay off like this is so cool.
“I am so grateful for the students, teachers and staff at FHS who have helped me along the way,” she added.
Ohstrom also played violin the past four years with the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra, and was a volunteer teacher at Centro Hispano de East Tennessee.
Additionally, she served as president of the National Spanish Honor Society for two years.
“As the two-year president of the National Spanish Honor Society, Magdalena is in her element,” one of her letters of recommendation stated. “She uses her position to amplify its impact on our community and abroad by finding volunteer events like HOLA Festival and Angel Tree, and help out other students with weekly tutoring. “Last year she developed a fundraising event for the Pulsera Project, (which) worked to employ artisans in Guatemala and Nicaragua by selling handmade bracelets. All the money was returned to those who made them and benefited their communities.”
“Helping others is a priority for Magdalena,” noted another staff recommendation. “She acknowledges that she has been gifted with many benefits in life and would like to be able to mentor others through academic or personal struggles.
“For three years, Magdalena has taught English to Spanish-speaking adults and led Spanish conversation tables at a local advocacy organization. She is committed to continuing such work throughout her life.”
Another recommendation stated, “Magdalena loves to learn. She started some high school classes in sixth grade and has taken an astounding 26 AP and dual enrollment credits.
“Additionally, she maxed out our math courses in grade 10. On close inspection, over half of her APs are in the humanities, making her extraordinarily well-rounded compared to her niche-focused peers.”
Her future plans include attending Stanford University this fall, with an eye toward studying engineering.
“I am super excited to see what the next four years will bring,” she added.
FHS’s 2021 graduation services will begin at 6 p.m., Sunday, June 6.
