05/22/2026
❤️🖤
✨ Senior Spotlight: Sarah Thomas
For Empire High School senior Sarah Thomas, a lifelong journey through the Vail School District helped turn a childhood fascination with space into an exciting future in aerospace engineering.
Sarah attended Sycamore Elementary School, Copper Ridge Elementary School, Corona Foothills Middle School, and Empire High School, where she challenged herself through AP coursework, engineering classes, art club, and multiple honor societies.
Graduating with a 4.0 GPA, Sarah was inducted into the National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, and National German Honor Society, opportunities she says helped her grow not only academically, but also through volunteer work and community service.
This fall, Sarah will attend the University of Arizona W.A. Frank Honors College to study Aerospace Engineering after earning the President’s Saguaro Scholars Award, worth $15,000 annually for four years.
Sarah says her passion for space exploration began at a young age and continues to inspire her future goals.
“The Vail School District absolutely prepared me for the future,” Sarah says. “Without the guidance of teachers, the excellence of administration, and the support of other faculty, I don't feel my academic career would have taken off the way it did.”
Congratulations, Sarah. We are so proud of you!!
