FHS senior celebrates academic achievements

By Matt Nagle

Fife Free Press
mattnagle@tacomaweekly.com
Published on: October 09, 2008

Fife High School senior Tierney Kuhn has a lot to smile about at school these days. As she prepares to graduate from the Fife school system and move on to universities of higher learning, academically she is at the top of her game and bringing a good measure of honor to herself and the school district that she loves so much.

Kuhn recently was named a semi-finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program, one of about 16,000 students across the country to achieve this level of success. She has a great chance of being named a finalist too, according to her teachers who marvel at the young woman’s intellect.

“She’s the strongest candidate I’ve seen in a long time,” said Fife High counselor John Sutich, who assists students with academic and career planning. “She operates in a realm that’s a long way out, even among our best and brightest students.”

Kuhn’s nomination for the National Merit Scholarship was based upon the scores she made on the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, also known at the PSAT exam. Kuhn’s marks on the test fell into the category held by less than one percent of each state’s high school seniors, thus making her a scholarship semi-finalist.

“I was pretty surprised,” Kuhn said of her nomination, “and very happy.”

Whether she makes it as a finalist depends on several things including her scores on the SAT test, the standardized test for college admissions in the United States. Kuhn did more than pass the test; she made a 100 percent in all of the exam’s components, giving her a perfect score of 2400.

Fife High School principal Mark Knight is amazed. “This is the first time I’ve seen scores this high,” he said.

“I’ve always been way into academics,” Kuhn said. A product of the Fife school system, Kuhn said her teachers supported her every step of the way, encouraging her to go beyond the lesson plan to explore topics that sparked her interest.

“It’s a great school district here,” she said.

Part of the district’s Running Start program, Kuhn takes classes at Highline Community Col-lege, as she has completed just about all the necessary requirements at Fife High to graduate. She wants to study computer science and artificial intelligence, and Kuhn said she is thoroughly enjoying the challenges at Highline. She remains involved in activities at the high school as well, and continues her membership in the school’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) program.

Laura Hilzendeger, business and marketing teacher at Fife High and FBLA advisor, called Kuhn “just such a remarkable girl and I have been blessed to know her and have her in FBLA. She is determined, passionate, and persistent in her path toward achieving success in all areas of her life.” Hilzendeger noted Kuhn’s FBLA successes, especially in how she challenged herself to become a better speaker, which helped Kuhn and her Emerging Business Issues teammates in FBLA to place 10th in the nation last year.

“At the same, she has also worked to excel in the more traditional academic-related FBLA events. In 2007, she took first place in human resources management at the national FBLA Conference. I am so proud of her and what she has accomplished for herself.”

Kuhn’s mom, Diane Shirley, said she knew her daughter would do an outstanding job on pre-college exams, but even she was a little surprised at the perfect SAT score. “Ever since she as a little girl she was enthusiastic about books and learning,” Shirley said. “Some families go camping, others cook together, we read together.”

Kuhn credited her mom for taking a strong interest in her education, which Kuhn said is the foundation that led her to success throughout her schooling. “From the time I could barely sit up my mom was reading to me for hours and hours.”

Kuhn said her mom encouraged her children to not just do what is expected of them, but to take their studies a step further and discover their own interests. “That’s the way she’s always done it, and it’s what kept her interested in school,” Shirley said.

“What I got from [my mom] is don’t just go for the glory. Do what you love,” Kuhn said. This is the advice she would give to her fellow students who may be struggling with their studies. “Aside from the daily assignments, which of course you have to do, look for something that captures your interest.”

She has always been a good student, Kuhn said of herself, and now that she is nearing graduation, all those years of preparation are showing more than ever as she moves on to new vistas of learning at one of the Ivy League universities she has her eye on.  

Kuhn is one of those young people destined to go far in life. With her great attitude, natural curiosity and numerous gifts of knowledge, from the looks of things these character traits will continue to serve her well into adulthood.

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