Halder, Lujan end high school careers as Most Outstanding Senior Letter award winners

Carly Halder, third from left, poses with friends during this spring’s prom at Byron High School. Also pictured are Ella Nelson, Marin Radke, Halder, Eden Hemminger, Zoe Dearborn, Madison Ohm and Tallie Behrens. Halder was named the Most Outstanding Senior Letter award for females in the class of 2026.

Carly Halder was named this year’s female Most Outstanding Senior Letter award winner for Byron High School.
Evan Lujan was named the male Most Outstanding Senior Letter award winner.
Principal Malia Schroeder said the honor is based on the student’s full body of work.
“Their resumes that qualified them for these awards were very impressive (Arts, Athletics, Academics, and characteristics of our Profile of a Graduate),” she wrote in an email. “Their accomplishments were tallied up by the activities office (how many letters won, awards, accolades, leadership roles, etc).”
Evan Lujan
Lujan kept himself quite busy during his time at Byron.
He was in band for eight years, cross country for six, track and field for five, speech for two, Knowledge Bowl for three, chess club for three, National Honor Society for a year and theater for one.
Oh, and he also did robotics his freshman and sophomore year.
“While I was involved in cross country, track and band for as long as I was able to, I joined every other activity at some point in sophomore year or later,” Lujan said. “For each other activity, I either gained interest, was recruited by friends, or joined simply because I wanted to branch out my activities and see new sides of the Byron experience.”
Outside of high school, he has played saxophone with the Rochester Community Band for over a year, and worked as a cashier at Fareway for more than three years.
“I’ve performed on drums all around Rochester and Byron in a rock band called Active Transport with friends for about (two) years, and am currently starting another rock band called Monte Cristo,” Lujan said. “I’ve also participated in many college-run honor bands, including (two) years of All-State — if those count as out of high school.”
Participating in activities has been Lujan’s favorite experience in high school.
“Participating in various honor bands around the state with friends, messing around in the wings during theater rehearsal, playing games during cross country or having snowball fights at track, or messing around between rounds at speech meets have been some of my favorite activities in Byron,” he said.
“Having time to participate in a fun activity while still making my own experiences with friends (and people i’ve met along the way), regardless of what activity it is, has always been the best part of every practice, rehearsal, or performance.”
During his high school career, Lujan said, he was able to diversify its activities, which paid off.
“Winning the Outstanding Senior award helps me see that diversifying my activities has truly been worth it,” Lujan said. “I’ve always tried to excel in every activity I do, and whether or not I manage to do so, It’s nice to see some recognition for my efforts. More importantly, the award outlines all the other benefits that I’ve gotten from participating in so many extracurriculars. I’ve met new people, tried new things, expanded my knowledge in various fields, learned about the culture of different teams, and experienced so many memories that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Next year he will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison to pursue a degree in civil engineering.
Carly Halder
Halder did soccer at the high school level for six years, basketball for five and track for six.
She also participated in choir for three years, Link Crew for two, and Unified Club for two.
“I’ve been doing soccer since I was (four), I started basketball in fourth grade, and I’ve always loved running but only joined in seventh grade,” Halder said. “I got into these activities from my love of sports and leadership.”
Outside of school, Halder volunteers, hangs out with friends and family, and is a nanny.
“My favorite memory from Byron has to be the DC trip we took,” Halder said. “I also love state trips in soccer and track.”
Halder said she is honored by the recognition.
“To me winning this award is very special; I’m not one to tell others about my accomplishments, so it feels nice to be recognized,” she said. “I feel proud of myself over all the years and leaving Byron with a strong mark on others.”
Halder will attend Minnesota State University-Moorhead in the fall, where she will continue to play soccer.

Carly Halder, left, was part of a Hiawatha Valley League Conference Championship track team. She spent six years on the BHS track team, six years in soccer and five years in basketball.

Evan Lujan somehow found time to play saxophone not only in various school honor bands, but with the Rochester Community Band, as well.

Evan Lujan, right, was an integral member of many clubs during his time at Byron High School, including Knowledge Bowl, chess club, National Honor Society and the theater department. Lujan also participated in sports for several years.