University: University High School senior leaves lasting mark on school, community

Long after she’s begun attending West Point, Elizabeth Ophardt’s impact on University High School and the surrounding community will be going strong.

Ophardt’s high school career began during COVID-19, and she felt isolated as one of the few students who tried to retrieve textbooks from school and had their camera on during Zoom classes.

She began making up for lost time sophomore year. She joined Junior ROTC and the National Honor Society and participated in marching band and chamber orchestra, an audition-based small group. Ophardt plays cello and performed in the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox lobby with the chamber orchestra before a symphony concert her junior year.

She also ran track and field, participated in the drama program for a year, was in ASB and took multiple Advanced Placement courses.

“I mostly wanted to do as much as I could in what time that I had there because I feel like I got robbed my freshman year,” she said. “I wanted to do everything. I signed up for everything I could.”

Ophardt also participated in Unified soccer, which pairs athletes with and without intellectual and/or developmental disabilities .

“It’s something I will remember forever,” she said. Ophardt had played soccer for years, “so getting to play again and helping others play was really, really cool.”

Ophardt created the Parade of Lights, a mental health awareness and suicide prevention parade, as part of her Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouts. Last year, the parade’s third, featured 25 participants and around 3,000 spectators.

“That will continue on,” Elizabeth’s mother Jennifer Ophardt said. “It’s become a local tradition that a lot of people are grateful for.”

Ophardt has especially thrived in JROTC. She initially joined because she heard the program would be a stepping stone to a military career. She was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t all military related and also focused on things like leadership .

“We’re here simply to help motivate young people to become better citizens,” said Bill Bialozor, University High’s JROTC teacher. “We teach them about leadership, community service, being better communicators and stewards of our community, working together as a team. Team building is a huge part of what we do, and it’s applicable in any vocation out there post-high school.”

In her senior year, Ophardt has held the role of battalion commander, the highest rank in the program. This year happened to be one during which the program received an accreditation inspection. With Ophardt’s guidance, the University High JROTC received a score higher than 95%, marking them as a distinguished honor unit.

Another of her roles included the S-7 position, which involved being in charge of promotion and recruitment. In this role, Ophardt created a website and social media presence for the program.

“She’s been the guiding beacon of light for the past four years,” Bialozor said.

Ophardt is staying busy up until – and including – graduation. Before the end of the year, she’ll participate in the JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge at Spokane Community College, where she and the rest of the team will work on things like rappelling and land navigation. She also commanded the JROTC program last month in the Lilac Parade.

At her graduation ceremony, Ophardt will help set up, perform with the orchestra and participate in the JROTC color guard, all before receiving her diploma.

Then, it’s off to West Point in New York. Ophardt received the congressional nomination to the academy from Rep. Cathy McMorris Rogers and could leave as soon as late June.

“This girl can’t be held down,” Jennifer Ophardt said. “She’s going to go places, so I’m very proud of her.”

Her JROTC leaders echoed the sentiment.

“Any accolades due to that young woman are by her doing and her own hand,” Bialozor said. “Certainly that’s what we look for in the future leaders of our country, the talents and skills that she already possesses, so all credit goes to her. She allowed us to walk on the path alongside her for a little while.”