OHS’s 2021 Valedictorian, Salutatorian Named

Oxford High School’s graduation ceremony will take place on May 21, 2021, at the Pavillion at Ole Miss. The commencement ceremony will be led by Valedictorian, Edmund Doerksen, and Salutatorian, Kareem Elgohry.

Edmund Doerksen leads the Class of 2021 with a 4.67 grade point average. In the fall, he will be attending the University of Pennsylvania to study Materials Science. 

Doerksen first-authored a research paper published on the cover of the American Chemical Society Earth and Space Chemistry Journal. He achieved Honors in the US National Chemistry Olympiad, leads as the Science Bowl Captain qualifying for Nationals three times, and is the Ocean Sciences Bowl Captain winning Texas regional in 2021. Doerksen was selected as the first-chair cello in the All-State Orchestra. Doerksen is a National Merit Finalist.

When asked who has been most influential in his academic success, Doerksen said his mother has been the most influential in his academic success.

“When I was young, she gave me a formal education in Mandarin and encouraged me to read a lot,” he said. “This deepened my understanding of the world and paid dividends in schoolwork and extracurriculars later on.” 

Edmund is the son of Robert Doerksen and Yu-Chu Chen.

Kareem Elgohry has been named Salutatorian for the Class of 2021 with a 4.65 GPA. Elghory’s top three college choices are Washington University, Vanderbilt, or Georgia Tech.

He plans to major in Computer Science. 

Elghory is the Public Forum Captain of the Oxford High School Debate Team, was named Academic All-American for Speech and Debate, and competed nationally in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl. Elghory is a National Merit Finalist.

“My parents have been the most influential in my academic success. They have always been the ones pushing me to strive for my best in everything I do,” he said.

Kareem is the son of Mona Haron and Moustafa Elgohry.