Shadow Ridge senior Will Scow has achieved an impressive academic milestone as a National Merit Scholar semifinalist. The recognition came as a complete surprise to him.
Scow acknowledged, “I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t think I had made it and had forgotten about the competition entirely.”
Scow’s journey toward this achievement wasn’t something he had planned for. In fact, he admitted he didn’t even know about the National Merit Scholarship Program until the day of the PSAT.
“My mom told me about it and that I should try to get it,” he said.
Despite not intentionally chasing the title, Scow’s natural curiosity and consistent effort in school have paid off. He’s known for balancing academics, extracurriculars, and hobbies effectively.
“I just try to make sure I turn in everything on time and get most of it done in class so I have time at home to play games and go to practices,” he explained.
Scow credits his love of learning to several of his teachers.
Scow mentions, “I love physics and calculus, and Dr. Padgett and Mr. Payne are great teachers. I also enjoyed AP Lit with Mrs. Coyle and dual English with Mrs. Smith. They’re all great teachers and amazing people.”
While his accomplishments might make it look easy, Will admits he’s had to overcome procrastination.
“I’m a huge procrastinator, so lately I’ve tried to get things done when they’re given rather than an hour before they’re due,” he said.
Much of his inspiration comes from his older brother.
“My older brother Ben is super smart, and I wanted to beat him in some way,” Will shared.
Looking ahead, Will plans to study electrical engineering and hopes his semifinalist recognition will open doors to top universities.
“It will let me go to most colleges I want to and be able to study engineering at the most prestigious universities,” he expressed.
A word of advice Will would give to other students is: “If you put in the effort and work, you can improve yourself in ways you couldn’t imagine. Even if you don’t achieve these goals, you’ll be changed as a person.”
