Aedan Roberts, a recent graduate from Premier High School – Granbury, is one of the 7,500 winners of the National Merit Scholarship. He was chosen from the 1.6 million entrants, based on scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). He received $2,500 to continue his education at Vanderbilt University where he will major in mathematics and minor in political science.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for high school students to receive recognition and scholarships. According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation website, approximately 1.6 million students enter per year and are initially screened after taking the PSAT/NMSQT. The top-scoring 50,000 students qualify for recognition in the National Merit Scholarship Program and only about 15,000 of those become Finalists. From that group, approximately 7,500, including Roberts, were selected to receive a Merit Scholarship award based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments.
Aedan Roberts never received what some would consider a “traditional education.” Aedan’s mom Cindy describes his school career as “a little bit of everything.” He started pre-k at a private school and he was already fluently reading at that point. After attending the private school for a few years, the Roberts family moved to Granbury and Aedan was homeschooled.
“He wasn’t really interested in going to a traditional high school,” says Cindy. “He’s not into prom, football games, or any of those things. He just wanted to learn and do what he needed to do to graduate. So he started his freshman year of high school at Premier.”
Cindy says that a family friend referred them to Premier High School and that’s how they first heard about the unique program. “The Campus Director Ms. Grissom was spoken of very highly; everybody in Granbury knows, loves and respects her. When we met her, I could see why people recommend her and the school. I thought it would be a good fit for Aedan and it was. We really appreciate everything she did for him.”
“Aedan enjoyed his time at Premier High School, especially the smaller size of the campus, which gave him more of an opportunity for one-on-one attention from teachers,” says Cindy. “He really loved all of his teachers and I think the feeling was mutual.”
Transitioning to the Premier High School program wasn’t difficult for Aedan because he was used to being able to work ahead of schedule and at his own pace, similar to how he learned while being homeschooled. Throughout high school, Aedan worked hard to maintain a 4.0 GPA and was invited to attend American Legion Boys State his junior year where he had the honor of being elected Senator.
Outside of school, Aedan was a dedicated Boy Scout and is now a proud adult Eagle Scout leader. He plans on continuing to be involved throughout college as he comes home for breaks. He has had the opportunity to be a part of multiple two-week long backpacking trips in New Mexico and the National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE). According to the NAYLE website, the program enhances leadership skills and expands upon the team-building and ethical decision-making skills while emphasizing leadership, teamwork, and selfless service.
