Grace started Primary Enrichment at IMACS in first grade and continued with Math Enrichment and university-level Mathematical Logic classes. She was among the first students in the country to complete EMF Math through her public middle school . In addition to scoring 1570 on the SAT, 35 on the ACT, and graduating summa cum laude with a 4.95 GPA, Grace was named a National Merit Finalist and AP Scholar with Distinction.
For two years Grace volunteered as an assistant in a molecular microbiology and genomics lab. In one standout project she investigated the role of cyanobacteria in harmful algal blooms through metagenomics of the Lake Okeechobee bacterial community. Grace is so skilled that as a high school senior she was tasked with training university students in wet lab techniques. She is also a founding tutor of Schoolhouse.World where she specializes in calculus and is responsible for training other tutors.
STEM is just one of Grace’s many strengths. She was chief copy editor of her high school’s yearbook and earned a 2021 National Quill and Scroll Award for her writing on robotics. Grace played varsity soccer all four years of high school and, as captain, led her team to winning the 2021 District Championship.
Grace was accepted early decision at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering where she will double major in Chemical Engineering and Integrated Science. With plans to become a chemical process engineer, Grace intends to pioneer efficiency and sustainability within the energy science industry.
Here is what Grace said about how IMACS enabled her to think creatively in all aspects of her problem solving:
IMACS fostered in me a love for creative problem solving and mathematical theory without me even realizing it. Over the years, I’ve come to truly appreciate that foundation and the advantage it provided in all aspects of my learning.
Congratulations, Grace!