December 11, 2025 – Hill Country College Preparatory High School’s very own Luke Ringlein gives us an inside look into his time at HCCPHS with this student edition Q+A.
Tell us why you were interested in attending HCCPHS.
- “I think the biggest thing was project-based learning. At Hill Country, a lot of the work that we do is learning the curriculum through long term projects, where we have a problem that we work together with teams to solve over multiple weeks, and then integrate the curriculum into that. I really enjoy working in teams and working on projects so that I can see how what I'm learning applies to the real world, so that's been helpful for me. I used to be really shy in middle school, so I had to get comfortable in front of presentations and talking to other people. You do it so much that you kind of get used to it. I feel like that's really helped me become a lot more confident.”
What are some classes you are taking at HCCPHS?
- “I am taking a lot of Stem classes. I want to major in engineering when I'm in college. So, I started off with a lot of engineering and robotics classes. I’ve moved into more computer science now to try and get a wide variety of technical background.”
What are some extracurriculars at HCCPHS that you are part of?
- “My extracurriculars are more humanities focused. Model UN Debate, National Honor society. It’s not directly tied to engineering, but it has allowed me to develop some of the soft skills that anybody needs in the workplace. So, it's just more working with teams, leadership opportunities, setting a plan, delegating tasks and working towards long term goals. Being able to speak, come up with arguments and work on communication skills, I think is important for the workplace no matter what career field you are in.”
What are your plans after graduation?
- “I hope to major in industrial engineering. The most realistic option is Texas A&M. I have a full ride ROTC Scholarship anywhere I choose to go, so I'm going to participate in ROTC during college. After I graduate, I'll commission as an officer, and I'm going to be an acquisitions officer in the Air Force or an engineer in the Air Force.”
How did you hear about the ROTC scholarship opportunity?
- “A few years ago, Mr. Muenich, our physics teacher, started talking to a lot of us about different opportunities. And one thing that he'd been interested in when he was younger was the Air Force Academy and ROTC. So I started doing research into those pathways and I decided that ROTC was really cool. You can attend a civilian college and get it paid for and still commission into a branch of service after college and have a guaranteed job after you graduate. I started looking at how to make myself more competitive, worked with my teachers on letters of recommendations and advice. Mr. Muenich was really helpful in figuring out this is what I want to go for.”
What advice do you have for eighth graders thinking about attending HCCPHS?
- “It really depends on what your goals are for high school. Hill Country really helped me develop academically and personally because of the situations it forces you to be in. The teachers do a really good job of working with you through that. Making sure you get one on one support, and making sure that even if you're uncomfortable, you're going to be growing the whole way. There's so much support from your peers and from your teachers that, if you can push through that, you're going to come out on the other end a much stronger academically, personally, and feel really good about your high school experience.”
Thank you for choosing Hill Country College Preparatory High School on your path to success! The application window for our Schools of Choice is open now through February 27. For more information, visit https://www.comalisd.org/apps/pages/highschoolsofchoice.
Photo Descriptions
- HCCPHS Senior Luke Ringlein walking the halls of HCCPHS.
- A view from the second level of the library and cafeteria at HCCPHS.
- HCCPHS Senior Luke Ringlein in his Computer Science class.