Arnett's goal: Electrical engineering to improve lives

A young woman who plans an electrical engineering career “to design solutions that address real challenges and improve people’s lives” is the Knox County Educational Service Center’s 2026 Franklin B. Walter All-Scholastic Award recipient.

Viktoria Arnett, a senior at Fredericktown High School, was selected from a field of six outstanding county seniors nominated by their respective districts. She will receive a $500 scholarship from the Knox ESC.

The annual Walter All-Scholastic Award program was established by county ESC superintendents in 1989 to recognize outstanding seniors from across the state. It is named in honor of Walter, Ohio’s 31st superintendent of public instruction.

As a child Arnett played with Legos and erector sets as she wondered about the workings of electrical circuits.

“What started as curiosity about how things work quickly grew into a deeper passion for engineering and the possibilities it holds to improve everyday life,” she said.

When she graduates next month Arnett will have already earned an associate degree in electrical engineering from North Central State College. She is enrolled at Ohio Northern University where she will pursue a bachelor’s degree in that course of study.

“I am especially interested in how electrical systems make robotics possible through circuit design, sensors, control systems and embedded programming.” Arnett wrote in the essay that accompanied her Walter Award nomination.

“One area that motivates me is the development of robotic devices that support individuals with disabilities or improve safety for workers in high-risk environments. Technology has the potential to remove barriers and create opportunities, and I want to be part of the engineers who make that possible.”

Fredericktown guidance counselor Karen Barta has no doubt that Arnett will achieve her career goals.

“Viktoria is bright, ambitious and knows exactly what she wants to do. We are very proud of her,” Barta said.

Arnett’s freshman and sophomore years were spent in Fredericktown classrooms. As a junior and senior she attended North Central State College at Mansfield, where her classes included hydraulics and pneumatics, calculus II, college physics and robotics.

When Ohio Lt. Governor Jim Tressel visited the NCSC campus he watched as Arnett demonstrated the operation and use of an FANUC industrial robot.

As a four-year Freddie, Arnett has participated in varsity basketball (MVP in 2023-24), varsity softball and varsity volleyball. She is a snare drum player in the marching band and pep band and served on student council.

At Ohio Northern she plans to participate in basketball, softball and the marching band.

Active in her church, Arnett’s community service has included assisting in the design of Fredericktown’s outdoor community fireplace, working at youth sports camps and making and delivering more than 300 Valentines to local nursing homes. She planned and organized a bake sale to benefit a football player from another school who is fighting cancer.

Throughout her career, Arnett said, she wants to encourage younger students, especially girls, to pursue opportunities in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math) “to see themselves as future engineers and innovators.”

“Ultimately, I want a career that combines creativity, problem-solving and service,” Arnett said. “I hope not only to advance technology but also to use my skills to help build a future where innovation improves the quality of life for others. My goal is not simply to design technology but to create solutions that empower people, strengthen communities and inspire the next generation to imagine what is possible.”

Knox ESC Superintendent Timm Mackley said Arnett emerged as this year’s award recipient after a detailed review of all applications by a five-member ESC committee.

“Each year I am in awe of the achievements and career goals of our nominated seniors,” Mackley said. “Again this year I am convinced that each of these graduating students is on a path to lifelong success.”

Arnett, her mother Rachel and Serena McCoy, FHS National Honor Society adviser, will join Mackley at the statewide Walter Award luncheon April 13 at Lewis Center.