In this day and age the majority of students can’t seem to go a day without texting, tweeting or Spotify-ing. Seldom can spend an entire day with pen to paper instead of finger to screen. But this won’t catch the eye of colleges: students need to study, practice and write essays all while balancing an after school job, and somehow still manage to pass their AP Calculus finals. Yes, it is difficult to achieve these high set standards, but some students seem to have it figured out.

Senior Aleks Andersen recently received a full scholarship to Michigan State University. Throughout high school she has gained the attention of many teachers as well as colleges. Conflicting with the status quo, Andersen comes out on top and with her impressive abilities.

“It’s kind of unbelievable when you think about it,” Physics teacher Kenneth Dollaske said. “It’s difficult to be involved in high school and be competitive and keep your academics up there.”

Andersen began her process without the knowledge of doing so. She applied to her honors college at Michigan State before the early action deadline. Before she knew it, she had received an email asking to have a conversation over Skype with representatives from Michigan State University.

“Then I just received a letter in the mail about my scholarship,” Andersen said.

But to her teachers, it didn’t seem like she did this all without lifting a finger.

“She’s very hardworking, very dedicated and intelligent,” Math teacher Jason Giordano said.

Both Giordano and Dollaske wrote letters of recommendation for Andersen, and they have a lot to say about her.

“She’s always trying to get the right answer even on complicated problems,” Giordano said. “She doesn’t quit. She always wants to understand.”

Dollaske continued this trend in his letter of recommendation.

“I focused on how she is in AP Physics and she is one of three females [in her class] yet she continues to do very well.”

Though Andersen already earned her scholarship and has worked hard to impress not only her teachers but colleges as well, she still struggles with her major.

“I was originally planning on majoring in actuarial science, which is like statistics.” Andersen said.

But taking the path of actuarial science conflicts with the ulterior choice of engineering. Yet, she plans for the future anyway.

“I plan on getting a jump start on my career and exploring the options I have,” Andersen said.