Alumni Profiles
Alex Deer
Alex Deer (Class of 2012) opened Mojo’s Java, a coffee shop inside the Cottonwood Market on Coit Road, in October. He did about 90 percent of the work himself from building cabinets to painting. “It’s a community coffee shop where anybody and everyone can come as they are,” he says.
Specialties include spicy chai tea latte, turmeric ginger latte, classic latte, cappuccino, Americano, double espresso, drip coffee and a dark chocolate coconut latte as well as the 254, which is two shots of Dr Pepper mixed with in-house espresso and topped with vanilla syrup over ice. He’s working to acquire a beer and wine permit so he can sell beer from a local brewery.
Alex knew he wanted his own coffee shop when he was a senior in high school. He also caters parties and events. Alex started Shelton during his freshman year. His learning difference is dyslexia. “I’m not great at spelling or math — unless it’s money,” he says. “The head of the math department put a dollar sign in front of math problems and realized, ‘The kid can figure it out really quickly.’”
Alex’s advice for Shelton students is to dream big. “Risk it for the biscuit, go big or go home,” he says. “if you can dream it, it happens. Find a job you like, and you're really not working at the end of the day. “
Mojo’s is named for Alex’s silver, green-eyed cat. The coffee shop’s hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and Sunday, 12-5 p.m. Watch a flyover of Mojo’s Java here.
Emmet Halm
Emmet Halm, who attended Shelton, graduated from Jesuit in 2019 and now attends Harvard, founded Acceptitas, a college consulting program run by Harvard students. The program begins with a mentor matching process, pairing high school students with Harvard undergraduates who share similar backgrounds or experiences. Students and mentors work together to think of ideas for passion projects, meeting once a week for an hour. The mentor then helps create a business plan for implementation. This past year, mentored students were admitted to seven of the eight Ivy League schools, Stanford, Georgetown and all of the University of California schools. “We just want to reach more people and show them they can have a more fulfilling high school experience,” he told People Newspapers. Emmet is studying applied history with a focus on what the past can teach us about future issues in public vs. private space exploration. He is interested in foreign policy, negotiation, entrepreneurship, language learning and decentralized applications. Read more about Emmet’s project here.
EJ Smith
EJ Smith, who attended Shelton and graduated from Jesuit, plays football for Stanford (#22) and scored a touchdown against Vanderbilt in the fourth quarter Sept. 18. E.J. is a sophomore who plays running back. He is also working hard in the classroom and holds a GPA of 3.2. Find out more about him here and watch the video of his touchdown here.
Mitchell Weiner and Andrew Redd
Alumni Andrew Redd (Class of 2017) and Mitchell Weiner (Class of 2017) spoke at the all-staff meeting Aug. 11, 2021, about how Shelton teachers and staff prepared them for college. Andrew graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor's degree in media management and a minor in business. He's currently working at the Dallas Entrepreneur Center and applying to law schools. Mitchell (Class of 2017) graduated from Regis College with a degree in sports management. He's pursuing a master's degree in strategic communication and playing tennis for Regis, where he received the Regis College Leadership in Athletics.
Ben Wilson
Ben Wilson (Class of 2016) graduated from Tarleton State University in December 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. He’s currently enrolled in EMT school with the goal of becoming a firefighter. In addition, he works for Image Signs of McKinney as a sales specialist.
Trinity Byars
Catch Trinity Byars (Class of 2021) on University of Texas soccer social media and here. You can also watch a video of her highlights here. The Dallas Morning News called her a soccer prodigy and she was one of the nation’s top two recruits in the Class of 2021. In September, she was named Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week (Honorable Mention), Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week and Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Week.
Tyler Primeaux
Eleventh grader Tyler Primeaux was selected as an ambassador to the 2021-2022 Congressional Youth Advisory Council for the Third Congressional District of Texas (U.S. Rep. Van Taylor). Tyler was chosen from a high number of applications from high school students for a limited number of positions. As part of the application, Tyler obtained three recommendation letters from Shelton teachers and administrators and submitted three essays on topics pertaining to laws and issues surrounding high school students, with a particular interest in promoting programs for learning different students. As part of this program, Tyler will attend six events this year, including attendance at the Oct. 30 Third Congressional District's Congressional Veteran Commendation Award Ceremony in Plano.
Will Kresl
Will Kresl (Class of 2017) graduated from Oklahoma State University in May 2021 with degrees in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Next, he's pursuing his master's at OSU, where he will continue his research on lightweight acoustic liners for high-efficiency jet engines.
Cole Reeves
Dallas Baptist University touted Cole Reeves (Class of 2018) on social media. “Another year and another chances for Cole Reeves to close out a title.” Follow his baseball season on Twitter. He’s majoring in business management. Track his stats here.