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Posted: Mar 19, 2026 1:25 PMUpdated: Mar 19, 2026 1:25 PM
South Coffeyville High School's Zakary Maywald Named ConocoPhillips February Student of the Month
Nathan Thompson
South Coffeyville High School senior Zackary Maywald has been named the ConocoPhillips STEM Student of the Month for February.
Maywald said his interest in science, technology, engineering and math developed over time, beginning with classroom projects and extracurricular activities in middle school.
“I’ve just always been interested in it,” he said.
While currently focused on culinary arts at Tri County Tech, Maywald says STEM skills, especially math, still play a role in his day-to-day work, including measurement conversions and calculations used in cooking and baking.
After graduation, Maywald plans to attend the University of Oklahoma, where he intends to study applied artificial intelligence, a rapidly growing field.
He said his interest in AI stems from its potential to improve efficiency and accuracy across industries.
“There are a lot of repetitive tasks that could be made faster with AI,” Maywald said. “It can help spot things people might miss.”
Looking ahead, Maywald hopes to pursue a career in artificial intelligence and is particularly interested in making the technology more environmentally sustainable, citing concerns about the energy demands of data infrastructure.
“I want to try to make AI a little less taxing on the environment,” he said.
Maywald says he was encouraged by being named a ConocoPhillips STEM Student of the Month.
“It’s pretty surprising,” he said. “There are a lot of other smart people who are really qualified for this.”
Maywald along with other outstanding high school seniors will be recognized May 5 during the Night of Scholars and Champions at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. The ConocoPhillips STEM Student of the Year will receive a $5,000 scholarship.
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