Whether the venue is the classroom or the field, track or mat, Dowagiac Union High School senior Tristan Howard is always establishing new milestones for himself to reach on his journey through life.

One of these he set way back in sixth-grade, after seeing his first report card, which was filled with nothing but perfect 100s in all his classes, he said.

“I’m setting a goal now that I’m going to be valedictorian of my class,” Howard recalled thinking at the time.

Seven years later, the standout student athlete can add this achievement to his growing list of accolades.

Dowagiac Union High School has recently announced the names of its top 10 graduating seniors, which Howard leads with a 4.0 GPA. Joining him at he top of the class of 2015 are:

2: Kasey Smith

3: Sydney Brooks

4: Shyasia Cook

5: Mary Magin

6: Samantha Craft

7: Camille Ralston

8: Heather Pacheco

9: Alyssa Casey

10: Connor Howard

Howard and his parents moved to the area from Mount Pleasant when he was around 3 years old, attending school in Eau Claire before transferring to Dowagiac in third grade, he said. It was while he was going to school in the Berrien County village that he joined his first sports team, playing soccer for a year before joining a youth football team, he said.

“We lost every game that year,” Howard said. “I don’t think we even scored a touchdown.”

Unfettered by their performance, the elementary student continued playing football once he started attending classes in Dowagiac, eventually picking up wrestling in the offseason in order to improve his performance on the gridiron. His performance proved to be just as good, if not better, a wrestler as he was a lineman, winning several district championships over his career on the mat.

A member of the varsity football, wrestling and track team by the time he was a sophomore, Howard’s achievements in athletics fueled his desire to succeed in academics as well, he said.

“I wanted to match what I’ve achieved in sports in the classroom,” he said.

Achieving his lofty academic goals proved to be a challenge, though, with commitments to both his teams and as a member of the school band, where he played trumpet. Junior year proved especially difficult, with Howard having to balance his extracurricular activities with several honor classes and preparation for the ACT, he said.

“I always had to remember, it’s student athlete: the student comes first, then the athlete,” he said.

Besides his own drive keeping him in check, his friendly rivalry with his twin brother, Connor, also helped drive him further down the path of success in both sports and school. Connor, in addition to being on the same sports teams, also joins his brother in the top 10 graduates.

“It’s always a competitive thing with us,” Howard said. “We’re always trying to one-up each other.”

In the fall, Howard plans to become a third-generation Chippewa, as he will attend the school his mother and grandmother graduated from, Central Michigan University. Receiving a hefty academic scholarship from the school, he plans on earning a degree in meteorology. He also is looking to join either the school’s football or wrestling team, he said.

For now, though, the senior is concentrating on a strong finish focusing on his final year in high school, and for his speech to the rest of the class during the commencement ceremony, which takes place on May 31.

Howard is thankful for the support he has received from his parents and grandmother, who have had his back on all of his ventures over the last four years, he said.

“They’ve really been there for me for everything I’ve done in high school,” he said.