After a brief hiatus from regular issues–The Eagle Examiner instead worked with The Rocky Mount Telegram to publish an article reaching a wider audience–it’s back to business with a senior spotlight, so let’s hear about Christopher Harper! Chris joined us his freshman year after leaving Faith Christian School and quickly established his place at RMA as the goofy and intelligent guy we have all come to know and love. 

Chris has opted to take all AP classes this school year, including AP Biology, AP Calculus, AP English, AP Physics, AP Psychology, and AP Statistics. His aspirational mindset has already enabled him to achieve great things academically such as being a Robert F. Sykes, Jr. Scholarship recipient, serving as Senior Academic Marshal, and reaching academic excellence in the majority of his classes leading up to his senior year. 

Chris has established himself athletically as well. He has played for the varsity boys tennis team all four years of high school, earning 2 Coaches Awards and an All-Conference Award. His commitment to tennis has reached beyond his four seasons: Chris has been taking private lessons to get him to his current skill level, so you can often see him on the courts long after most of his classmates have gone home. For his senior year, Chris is also taking on soccer as our left wing on the boys varsity team.

As for life after school, Chris plans to major in automotive engineering. He has applied to MIT, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, NC State, the University of South Carolina, Clemson, and the University of Alabama. He has his eye on the University of Illinois especially because of their excellent engineering program. We all have confidence that he will reach his goals; we just hope to receive an invite to his yacht (see below) in 10 years. 

• What is your favorite movie or go-to song? Forrest Gump (absolute legend)

• What is a talent of yours that we may not know about or something nobody knows about you? I am obsessed with cars.

• Where is your favorite place and why? Otavalo, Ecuador; it’s a cool town and I have a good time when I’m there. (There’s a taco place that cooks chicken on the street and costs $3.50–good tacos.)

• What celebrity would you want to be for two days and why? Christian Bale (He played Batman 2005-2012.)

• What is your funniest story from RMA? Well, I accidentally threw the ball out of the window of Madame O’Brien’s room and then got locked out.

• What is one piece of advice you’d give to an incoming freshman or to your younger self about high school? Don’t drop AP Pre-cal.

• What are you looking forward to in college? Chow Hall (lots of food)

• Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? Probably at the Monaco Grand Prix watching from a yacht (race cars are fast)

• Describe your dream vacation OR if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Never been but probably some beach in the Mediterranean (Monaco, Amalfi Coast, Greece, Valencia)

• What is your favorite school event? (such as homecoming, prom, buddy events, field day, spirit week, etc.) Our class trip to Florida last year–and maybe New York this coming February.