There doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day for Lake Orion High 12th-grader Samantha Kaufman.
‘I get home at 5 p.m. from cross-country practice, take the dog for a walk, then it’s homework for two hours, and any other extra time, I either work on art projects or read. Or just keep doing homework.?
Kaufman has a 4.0 grade point average, earns college credit through advanced placement classes and, in June, received a perfect score on her ACT. But now, her studious nature might really start paying off’financially. Kaufman recently found herself on the list of semi-finalists for the National Merit Scholarship program.
‘It’s very cool to know that I rank nationally,? Kaufman said.
The 16,000 semi-finalists, which represent less than one percent of high school students across the country, were picked from more than 1.5 million juniors in over 21,000 high schools who took the 2007 qualifying test.
To become a finalist, a semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record, be endorsed and recommended by the principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. $35 million is available for 8,200 scholarships.
The scholarships are announced this spring. Finalists will compete for one of 2,500 scholarships for $2,500 awarded on a state representational basis.
Kaufman said the money would come in handy considering her plan to study pre-med and neuroscience in college.
‘It would really help me out. I’m planning on being in college for a long time, at least eight years,? she said. ‘My family is happy and hopeful about it, too.?
She said she is considering Michigan Tech, but is also in the process of applying to the far away University of Michigan, which would be preferable to far away Michigan Tech, located in the Upper Peninsula.
‘Hopefully, I’ll get to go to school close to home,? Kaufman said.