Four Wisconsin high school seniors win nation’s top academic honor

MILWAUKEE — There aren’t many days left within the faculty 12 months, however David Arthur, a senior at Marquette College Excessive College, is busy making ready for finals and placing the ending touches on closing tasks earlier than he leaves highschool behind for good. 

“One in every of my main extracurriculars right here is Science Olympiad, so we do plenty of our constructing actions in right here, we’ve constructed planes and bridges, robots, a bunch of different stuff that offers with our occasions right here,” Arthur defined within the “Innovation Lab.”

Arthur isn’t concerned as a lot with the constructing side of the Science Olympiad. 

He works on researching completely different subjects, comparable to astronomy, rocks and minerals, and dynamic planet, which he stated offers with hydrology, which is the department of science involved with the properties of the earth’s water, and particularly its motion in relation to land.

From there, he places collectively binders of data that he and a companion use to take exams throughout their occasions within the Science Olympiad — which he in comparison with being like a monitor meet. 

“You undergo, you spend 50 minutes, when you end early, you’ll be able to verify your solutions, and whoever will get probably the most proper on the finish wins,” he stated. 

On prime of Science Olympiad, Arthur has taken 10 Superior Placement programs, has labored a job since eighth grade, and takes half in choir and orchestra enjoying the cello. 

He’s finished all of that whereas preserving a 4.44 GPA. 

That every one boosts his resume, serving to him stand out on school functions, scholarships, and even award functions. 

In Might, Arthur acquired an electronic mail at 5:42 a.m. saying he had received the best pupil award within the nation, the U.S. Presidential Scholar award. 

It was given to 161 highschool seniors this 12 months — 4 of these winners are from Wisconsin, and two had been named U.S. Presidential Students in Profession and Technical Schooling:

• WI – Delafield – David E. Arthur, Marquette College Excessive College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
• **WI – Middleton – Daphne Joyce Wu, Middleton Excessive College, Middleton, Wisconsin (U.S. Presidential Scholar in Profession and Technical Schooling).
• WI – Verona – Ananya Krishna, James Madison Memorial Excessive College, Madison, Wisconsin.
• **WI – Waupun – Cameron David Pokorny, Waupun Senior Excessive College, Waupun, Wisconsin (U.S. Presidential Scholar in Profession and Technical Schooling).

The U.S. Division of Schooling stated greater than 5,000 seniors certified. 

To be a type of 161, Arthur stated, is humbling.

“Since I knew it was a end result of all that I’ve finished in my 4 years of highschool, I’m honored to have received and be part of such an achieved and well-rounded group from throughout the nation,” he stated. 

Arthur is headed to Northwestern College within the fall. He’s undecided on his area of research. He stated he hopes this award reveals college students that something is feasible when you work for it.