Senior Ian Bakker has been selected as a National Merit Semi-Finalist. 

The National Merit Organization grants this title to students with the top 1% score on the PSAT/SAT tests, approximately 16,000 kids nationwide.

“When I first got my score back, I thought, ‘Wow, that’s pretty good, maybe that could be a qualifying score’,” Bakker said. “Then I got an email from Mrs. Wilson, saying, ‘CONGRATULATIONS’ and it was really exciting.”

Bakker’s success and hard work ethic has always been encouraged and valued by the people around him. 

“I think my parents have always been really supportive of my academics, they’ve always really inspired me to try harder and get good grades,” Bakker said. “My friends also, I have surrounded myself with a lot of people who are similarly dedicated.”

To become a finalist, Bakker will be required to write and submit a short essay and application for the organization, a similar process to applying for college.

Winning this prestigious award would give Bakker an even bigger step ahead when applying to colleges. He hopes to pursue a career in mathematics, his top picks for schools being MIT and Michigan University.