Michigan City High School senior Alex Deutscher has been named a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
Each year, high school students enter The National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Only 16,000 students are recognized as national Merit Scholar Semifinalists, from among the 1.5 million who take the test in the U.S. and abroad.
A member of the National Honor Society, Deutscher has been involved in several academic, extracurricular, and volunteer activities. “We are very proud of Alex’s accomplishment and know he has a tremendously bright future ahead of him,” said MCHS Principal Wendel McCollum.
Deutscher attended Coolspring Elementary and Barker Middle School. At Michigan City High School, he is active in Steering Committee, Science Olympiad, and Stage Crew; he will be Stage Manager for the school musical, Oklahoma!, in November. He attended Boys’ State, and is currently involved in the South Shore Youth Leadership for Community Engagement (SLYCE) program through Leadership Northwest Indiana. Through SLYCE, he became involved with the Northwest Indiana Youth Employment Council.
Alex Deutscher is the son of Rick and Rhonda Deutscher, and in his “spare time” he helps care for beef cows on his family’s farm. He also works part-time at GFS as a stock clerk and sales associate, and he volunteers at Lake Hills Elementary School, where he assists with after-school STEM enrichment programs.
Upon graduation, Deutscher plans to major in Chemistry; he is considering Indiana University, Michigan, Purdue or MIT. He achieved a near-perfect score on the SAT, scoring a perfect 800 in Math. “I didn’t really study for the SAT,” he admits. “I felt really well prepared by my teachers in academic honors classes at Michigan City High School, especially in Chemistry. Chemistry helps you go beyond just memorizing to creatively applying what you know, which is why I really enjoy it.”
As a Merit Scholar Semifinalist, Deutscher is now eligible for consideration as a National Merit Scholar. This distinction is based on an application and essay highlighting the student’s abilities, grades, SAT scores, and accomplishments. National Merit Scholars may receive a variety of scholarships from colleges, corporations, and the National Merit Scholar organization.