Wyatt Appel
As a 2-year-old, Wyatt Appel was different, and his parents, Karen and Martin Appel, both teachers in Mesa, knew their son was not like most children.
As a second-grader reading at an eighth-grade level, Wyatt was having conversations with his parents about what he read, which were not typical for a child his age. He always has freely expressed his thoughts and ideas about subjects of interest to him in biology or calculus, and to the amazement of his father, can do complex mathematical computations in his head.
His mom, Karen, explained, “Wyatt has a curious mind and always wants to know why and how things work.” His parents agree he has an exceptional memory. With insight beyond his years, this unassuming young man sums up his academic gifts in this way, “I think I was naturally inclined,” said Wyatt. “I remember things well and can make connections. That is the biggest thing, being able to make connections with what I have learned.”
As a youngster, ensuring Wyatt was intellectually engaged was not a problem. His parents say he has always been self-directed and motivated to learn. However, not everything has been easy for him. He readily admits that the middle school experience at Mesa Academy was challenging and pushed him, but he realizes the workload really prepared him for high school and college.
“We have never set any standard for him to get all A’s,” Karen said. “We never had to. He has his own personal expectations and goals, and he quietly goes about his business.” Wyatt’s dad, Martin, added, “Not just in academics, it is in all aspects. Athletically he does not want to just play. He wants to be the best he can be and works at it all the time.” Aside from his academic pursuits, Wyatt keeps himself well balanced by participating in a variety of interests, including cooking, art, basketball and helping with student council activities.
The quiet and popular Mesa High School senior is strong in English, math and science. His favorite subjects are math and science. “I like knowing the way the world works,” said Wyatt. “Math has to be applied, but the chemistry, physics and biology interest me, since they explain
why the world is the way it is.”
A straight-A student throughout his school career, Wyatt has set his sights on the National Merit Scholarship, a quest that started in his junior year by taking the PSAT test, the precursor to the SAT. Scoring 1490 out of 1520 points has qualified him as a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist.
Each year, more than a million and a half academically gifted students from more than 22,000 high schools
across the country participate in the program. Only
1 percent of students from each state who took the PSAT in their junior year with the highest scores are named as semifinalists in their senior year. Arizona has a number of semifinalists, who include seniors from traditional public schools, public charters and private schools, as well as a handful of home-schooled students.
For a semifinalist to move on to finalist status for a National Merit Scholarship, they must apply, write an essay, provide transcripts, take the SAT and score well. Wyatt took the SAT in April, earning a score of 1560, and putting him in the 99th percentile. About 90 percent of semifinalists are estimated to achieve finalist standing. More than half of the finalists are expected to win scholarship money.
For the last 63 years, the National Merit Scholarship program has awarded more than $31 million a year in scholarships. Its mission is to identify and honor scholastically talented American youth, and to encourage them to develop their abilities to the fullest. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation offers three types of Merit scholarships to finalists: National Merit $2,500 scholarships, corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards and college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards.
Special scholarships are awarded to outstanding students who are not finalists and meet a corporate sponsor’s criteria. With the award comes the title of Merit Scholar. A college-bound, first-year student with such a status will attract the attention of colleges and universities that intensely vie for and proudly promote those students.
Wyatt seeks to earn a business degree and is looking at universities with good business schools. He is hoping to get accepted to Princeton, Columbia, University of San Diego or Boston University.
Wyatt’s interests are so broad, to pursue one particular discipline, such as medicine, he feels would be too confining. He has many ideas and wants to be diversified to have the freedom to do a lot of different things. He believes an entrepreneurial focus will allow him to do that.
Wyatt and his parents will learn of his standing in the National Merit Scholarship program when the finalists are announced in the spring of 2019.