Two South High graduates were recently recognized for their hard work, and were inducted into the Parkway Hall Of Fame.

The first South High graduate to be inducted was Mariam Nawas. She graduated in 2007 and is now a hematologist/oncologist who specializes in bone marrow transplant surgeries, and she takes care of patients with Leukemia In Chicago. Nawas said that she learned many things while she attended South High, including how to work efficiently and challenge herself. 

“There is very little in my day-to-day work that I directly learned from high school, and yet my high school education was fundamental to my success in medical school, medical training, and thereafter,” Nawas said. Nawas also says she is grateful to have graduated from South High and that it helped her prepare for her future.

“Parkway prepared me as well as any place could have for the future, and I’m grateful to have had access to such a strong public school system,” she said. 

Nawas said that she had many teachers that she liked, one teacher in particular that she liked was math teacher Scott Degitz-Fries. Degitz remembers Nawas as a very smart student.

“She was very intuitive. She would really try and analyze the math, and calculus and really just try and look at the problems from all angles,” he said.

The second South High inductee was Karen Johnson. She graduated in 1983. She was a state champion in the 100-yard butterfly in swim, and her swimming team placed overall third place at the Missouri State Championship in Columbia, Missouri. After high school she became a CPA and the C Suite-Level Executive as the Chief Operating Officer for the State of California. Johnson says that South High and the teachers/coaches helped shape her into the person she is today

“My time at Parkway South provided a foundational framework for my career. And, please huge shout out to the teachers! The rigorous academic curriculum, coupled with extracurricular activities like swimming, instilled in me a strong work ethic, discipline, and a love of learning,” Johnson said. 

Johnson also said she shares the credit for her success with her Parkway teachers.

“This honor is not just for me; it’s for all those who supported me along the way. It’s a reflection of the transformative power of education and the importance of fostering a supportive learning environment,” she said.