This year, 21 students from Huron, out of 85 students from Washtenaw County and out of 16,000 nationwide, were nominated as semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship. One of them is Grace Yang, a senior who felt especially grateful for the moment.

“It’s honestly kind of surreal,” Yang said. “I feel like I’ve seen so many previous seniors who’ve become semifinalists or finalists and I didn’t realize that I’d be in their place one day.”

School doesn’t always come easy to her, though. While she scored in the top 1% of American high school students who took the PSAT (practice SAT) last October, she struggled with an AP course known to be one of the most difficult; AP Chemistry. 

“The biggest challenge I face when studying is overcoming the “I’ll do it later” mindset,” Yang said. 

Through pushing herself in school, taking difficult classes, and challenging herself academically, she aspires to be a physician in the healthcare field in the future. In order to thrive, Yang claims ambition and “letting loose” is the key to success. 

“I say ambition because you’d be surprised what you’re able to accomplish if you just randomly shoot for the moon,” she said. “Also being able to have fun because we’re still young, school shouldn’t be our entire life, and it’s good to not burn out.”

In terms of advice for students who seek to achieve the same academic recognition, practice makes perfect according to Yang.

“In my opinion, the best way to do well on the PSAT or SAT is just to sit down and crank out a practice test or two every weekend leading up to the exam,” Yang said. “There’s really no easy way to hack it.”