Lewis-Palmer School District and Palmer Ridge High School are proud to have three PR seniors named this year as National Merit Semifinalists: Ryan Taix, William Guttormsen, and Keegan Mulloy.
This recognition is no small feat.
More than 1 million students entered the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT), and the pool of semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, and includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. Along with exceptional PSAT scores, to qualify as a semifinalist, students must maintain the highest level of academic success throughout high school, have a well-rounded resume of extracurricular activities, and demonstrate leadership abilities.
With such rigorous standards, these seniors understand the significance of this honor and how it could open doors for their futures. At the same time, they are grateful for the recognition and the people who helped them achieve it.
“It represents the payoff of the work I’ve put in academically,” William said. “It’s also a reflection of the teachers we have here at Palmer Ridge,” he added.
Keegan echoed this sentiment saying, “It’s great to be recognized because I put in a lot of work and studied a lot for it. To know that I earned my way, won’t have to take out a student loan, and that the hard work paid off will be really beneficial too,” Keegan shared. “I knew the guy (from Palmer Ridge) who got it last year. He’s going to Alabama with five years of tuition, so it was definitely a goal for that reason too.”
When the students were asked how their time at Palmer Ridge and the people there have helped them achieve their academic success, they were quick to acknowledge the impact that teachers and the environment at PR have had on their success.
“We have a pretty academic environment here at PR,” William said. “Having friends that all want the same thing helps, and one of my favorite things about PR is the connection with teachers and other students. Being active in clubs and classes makes the day a lot more fun, and it’s easy to learn with a teacher you have a connection with.”
“I think PR has done a great job preparing us. There were a couple classes I wanted to accelerate in, and they do a great job with supporting your goals here,” Keegan said. “Also, Will has been a competitor of mine for a while (referring to other semifinalist William Guttormsen). So he’s definitely pushed me to be better.”
Ryan also shared that the quality of teachers he’s had at Palmer Ridge has had a significant impact on his academic performance.
“My favorite thing about Palmer Ridge has been the teachers. The teachers are great. I’d definitely like to shout out Mrs. Nelson,” Ryan said.
As far as what’s next for our semifinalists, they all plan to continue their high performing ways. While none of them know yet exactly what comes next, they all have some lofty goals, but goals that students of their caliber could most definitely achieve.
“I’d like to serve in the military, and I also think medicine is interesting. Being a doctor is one idea, but the dream is being an astronaut,” William said. “So we’ll see.”
“I’m not sure which university I’m going to go to yet,” Ryan said. “But I’m definitely going to study engineering. I really want to go to Northwestern or the Colorado School of Mines. The locations of both of those schools are awesome, and the academics are very high level,” he added.
Keegan also has his eyes set on an engineering future and perhaps military service.
“I’ll likely be doing Navy ROTC in college. I recently received a scholarship for that and plan on taking it wherever I go, and I’d like to study mechanical or aerospace engineering,” he said. “I’m applying to Purdue, and I like Notre Dame a lot too.”
Wherever these three talented students end up, we know they have very bright futures ahead.
Winners of the National Merit Scholarship will be announced next spring and will join the exclusive club of just 389,000 students who have been named National Merit Scholars since the program began all the way back in 1955.
We hope to be celebrating these exceptional students again when the winners are announced.