Congratulations to National Merit® Scholarship Commended Students, Teagan and Nick

Congratulations to Teagan McCarty and Nick Foley, seniors at Richfield High School, on being named Commended Students in the National Merit® Scholarship Competition! 

Teagan McCarty

Teagan McCarty chose to take the PSAT because she wanted to practice for the ACT. “I used to struggle with testing anxiety, and exams like the ACT and SAT feel like very high pressure environments,” explained Teagan, “so I saw the PSAT as a way to wade into the water so to speak.” 

The PSAT also gave Teagan a detailed report about her score, including explanations for every question on the test, which showed her exactly what she needed to focus on when studying for the ACT. Out of more than 1.3 million National Merit® Scholarship Competition entrants across the United States, Teagan scored in the top 34,000 to become a Commended Student – which puts her in the top 3%!

After graduating from RHS, Teagan plans to attend college to complete a four-year degree. Because she participated in the PSEO (Post-Secondary Enrollment Option) program through Normandale Community College, Teagan will be able to complete her two-year associate degree this year, and then she plans to transfer those credits to a four-year college to complete her bachelor’s. 

“While I don't know exactly where I want to be in 5-10 years, I plan to explore possible career paths, take risks and pursue as many opportunities as possible,” said Teagan. “I really value flexibility in life, and I believe that some of the best opportunities can be completely unexpected, so it's important to remain open to different possibilities.”

At RHS, Teagan enjoys the performing arts, and has been on both the fall and winter dance teams since she was a freshman. She is also part of our spring musical theater club and was involved in the award-winning production of Urinetown last year. Her favorite part of school is working on research projects, and she specifically enjoyed her American History class. 

“I'm very proud of my academic achievements,” said Teagan. “I work hard to maintain my GPA and get high scores on exams. I'm also proud of the fact that I'm making progress on my college degree before I graduate! I'm very grateful that I had the opportunity to take PSEO classes.”

Teagan’s advice to freshmen is to try your best to develop good study habits, as soon as possible. “Once you get into the habit of procrastinating on work, it can cause a lot of unnecessary stress, and it’s a very difficult habit to break. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to your teachers when you need support. It can be difficult to ask for help, but it’s always worth it in the end.”

Teagan’s counselor, Danielle Jastrow, had this to say: “Teagan has worked tirelessly to get to where she is now. Starting college with credits already earned isn't easy, but she has set herself up for success in college and beyond."

Congratulations to Teagan on her academic achievements. The entire RHS family can’t wait to see where she goes next! 

Nick Foley

Nick Foley, also a senior at RHS, chose to take the PSAT and enter the National Merit® Scholarship Competition. His score landed him in the top 3%, giving him the title of National Merit Commended Student. 

Nick plans to attend college for computer science, and hopes to become a software engineer after his graduation from Richfield High School. In his free time, Nick participates in the Spartan Crew, which is a group of students at RHS who work to help new and incoming students become comfortable navigating high school. 

Spartan Crew leader and counselor Morgan Kelley had this to say about Nick: “Nick is an awesome leader for our ninth grade students. He always makes himself available for Spartan Crew events, and he gets along well with everyone around him.” 

In addition to the Spartan Crew, Nick is involved with the National Honor Society (NHS). The NHS is a student club that recognizes and honors students who have demonstrated excellence, and challenges them to develop further through active involvement in school activities and community service. 

During his time at RHS, Nick’s favorite class was Calculus because he enjoyed the challenge. Nick also plays for the RHS soccer team. Prior to RHS, he attended Richfield Dual Language School and Richfield Middle School. 

We would like to congratulate Nick for becoming a National Merit® Scholarship Commended Student and will continue to cheer for him in his future!