By Jessica Owens – Staff Reporter

Seniors Monica Pydipati and Joseph Fletcher recently earned the title of National Merit Commended Scholar from the College Board. To accomplish this, they needed to place in the top 3.1% of students nationwide in the Preliminary SAT. This test is taken by almost 1.6 million students every year. Advocate staff Reporter Jessica Owens interviewed Pydipati and Fletcher about their accomplishment.

Jessica Owens: How does it feel to have the title of National Merit Command Scholar?

Joseph Fletcher: I’m honored to have it but at the same time it was very surprising.

Monica Pydipati: It feels pretty nice, it’s kinda like all my efforts are being recognized. And to know that I got one of the highest scores in the country is something I can be really proud of.

JO: What steps did you take to accomplish this goal?

MP: It was really just practicing over and over again making sure I was prepared for when I took the test.

JO: What colleges are you currently looking at?

JF: I am currently looking at University Of Hartford, RPI, and the University of Rochester

MP: My main goal would be Georgia Tech but I kinda have a dream of going to MIT too. A lot of mine due tend to be Ivy league schools like Columbia, Princeton, and NYU.

JO: What advice would you give to others who want to accomplish this?

MP: Really just set your mind to it, your not gonna get anywhere if you just don’t put the effort in. It’s really about all your hard work paying off.

JF: Work hard when you get the chance because it makes it easier for when you don’t need to do the work.