From coding in class, to studying at home, to dashing on the pickleball court with his friends, this studious young man has many hobbies to keep him occupied. Kagan Akcelik is a senior and in the top three for the Class of 2026. Over the years, he has worked hard to secure his position at the top of his class and as the year is coming to an end, he is seeing the fruits of his labor. However, the end of senior year is not the end of his story.
“Growing up, my parents pushed me to do better,” Kagan said. “I think that instilled the mindset in me, and now I don’t think it’s really about my parents anymore.”
Now, the pressure that he feels seems to be an intrinsic desire to succeed and improve.
“Most times the pressure just affects me in a positive way,” Kagan said. “It causes me to work faster and harder.”
Besides working hard on his academics, Kagan has developed other skills to better himself.
“I really like to code — it’s one of my main passions,” Kagan said. “Outiside of school, I’ve been getting into pickleball. I just like hanging out with my friends.”
Senior Jonas Hinshaw, one of Kagan’s closest friends, had a unique insight into his character.
“I’ve been close friends with Kagan since first grade,” Jonas said. “He’s not just smart, he’s emotionally intelligent.”
It appears he has always been just as motivated to go above and beyond as Jonas attests to.
“He’s extremely hard working and above all ambitious,” Jonas said. “He strives to do things I wouldn’t think were possible, like when he made a glove with electromagnets in first grade.”
His passion for computer science is one he would like to pursue as a career, turning a hobby into a life-long pursuit.
“I know I want to do something in the software engineering field, but I’m not 100% decided yet,” Kagan said. “Right now I’m looking at UT, but other than that I’ve applied to top schools like Stanford.”
Not only does he have the grades and ambition, but also a plan on how he can get there.
“I think it’s partially working hard, but just because you work hard doesn’t mean you’re necessarily going to get what you want,” Kagan said. “It’s easy to get discouraged, so the important thing is just to keep going.”
