Cheney High School: University of Chicago-bound Cooper French found love for math, music and the mat

Throughout his high school career, Cheney High School senior Cooper French has grappled with academics and extracurriculars with the support of his family, teachers and coaches.

“There’s a lot of good teachers at Cheney High School and athletic programs – especially wrestling – that really taught me a lot about how to work hard to get stuff done,” French said.

French first got into wrestling during the COVID-19 pandemic after seeing a video on YouTube that inspired him.

“(I like) seeing how different moves connect to each other and just working on technique over and over again until you can do something perfectly,” French said.

Cynthia Dukich, French’s mom, said he started in eighth grade, later than many other wrestlers.

“He had a pretty steep learning curve at the beginning,” she said.

Dukich said French took the challenges in stride. He placed sixth in the 2026 WIAA Mat Classic for 3A Washington State competition in his weight class.

French said since the beginning, his coaches have inspired and encouraged him to always show up and work hard – something he has taken into other areas of his life.

On top of wrestling, French juggles academics, playing trombone in jazz band and baritone in marching band as well as a social life.

“With marching band, it’s the same thing as wrestling where you learn how to work hard,” he said. “But (band) taught me how to have fun and how to relax.”

While taking AP classes and performing in ensembles at the high school, French also attends classes through the Running Start program at Eastern Washington University.

“Academically, Cooper’s been a rarity, especially with math,” school counselor Tyler Neely said. French has taken eight college -level math classes prior to his high school graduation.

French said that his favorite subject is math, and he plans to continue studying it in college. In the fall, he is attending the University of Chicago and is excited for the increased rigor of college classes, professional connections and research opportunities.

Dukich said she is excited for French to be able to attend his top-choice university.

“But it’s bittersweet because we’ll miss him a lot,” Dukich said. “The great thing about this world that we live in now is we’re so interconnected through the internet, FaceTime, phones and all that kind of stuff, so it’s not as big a deal to leave as it used to be.”

Dukich said Cheney will always be French’s home, but she is excited for him to spread his wings and see how he grows in the next chapter of his life.

Looking back on French’s high school career, Neely said he is impressed by French’s involvement on and off the high school campus.

“He’s shown that you can do both,” Neely said. “You can balance staying involved and being active in lots of different things and still just be through the roof academically.”

While maintaining this rigor, Neely said French has remained humble throughout his time in high school.

“Super humble kid, very talented and very gifted, and at the same time is not one to boast or brag,” he said. “That’s been one of the things I’ve been most impressed with.”

French said there was no secret to his success.

“We wake up every day, we go to school, we go to work, and it’s the little things every single day that impact us and make us who we are.”