Going on her sophomore tour at Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center was an eye-opening experience for Roxanne Storts-Berio.
Roxi had visited the school as an eighth-grader but hadn’t given any thought to a career. While touring with her Unioto High School classmates in fall 2020, she was intrigued by the Visual Communication & Design program for the different types of art.
“During COVID, I had a lot of free time, so I started painting on my walls. I just started getting into that artistic side of myself. So when I saw the digital pathway of art, it was really interesting,” she said.
Roxi considers her junior year as time spent learning what she could do and her senior year as time spent applying what she learned — graphic design, photography, videography and broadcasting.
In addition to directing, producing and anchoring the school’s On-Air weekly news program, she works as an intern in Pickaway-Ross’ Marketing department. She also is in the National Technical Honor Society and assisted with fundraisers, excelled in BPA — becoming state champion her junior year and then serving as president for her program’s career and technical student organization, and played soccer for Unioto and club soccer the past four years.
Her accomplishments have culminated in Roxi being named Pickaway-Ross’ 2023 Student of the Year.
Nominated by four teachers, Roxi was lauded for taking initiative in a variety of pursuits; demonstrating leadership abilities in academic and extracurricular activities; and overcoming challenges to meet her goals.
One of her goals was to earn BPA’s Ambassador Torch Award, which was presented to her at BPA’s national conference this spring. The program recognizes students who promote professionalism and leadership in career development and personal growth. Recipients must be recognized at the local, regional and state level to be awarded Ambassador status at the national conference.
After Pickaway-Ross’ completion ceremony Thursday night, where Roxi will address her classmates, she will prepare to move to Florida to attend Full Sail University this fall. She plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in graphic design in an accelerated 27-month program. She was awarded the university’s Creative Minds Scholarship for $25,000, in addition to a Pickaway-Ross Teachers Association Scholarship and the Mary Siberell Rader scholarship.
Roxi said her mom, Mariel Berio, and grandfather, Bruce Storts, have inspired and supported her and she appreciates her Pickaway-Ross teachers for believing in her.
“My instructors have just been amazing. They saw just a little bit of potential in me and they always were pushing me to do my best.”
Roxi’s fellow nominees for Student of the Year were Lance Berard, Electrical (Logan Elm); Avery Hartshorn, Engineering (Southeastern); Sydney McGlone, Welding (Chillicothe); and Ellie Ratliff, Health Science (Southeastern).