Student admitted to top university Senior snags a spot at Princeton University as result of her studious high school career BY BROOKE BRAMAN Most Saturdays senior Elbeg Erdenee can be found studying at Watson library with her mother, a doctoral student at KU. Such studious behavior has paid off as she was recently accepted to Princeton University, an Ivy League university located in Princeton, New Jersey, on a full ride scholarship. “[When I found out I was accepted], naturally I was very excited. I think my parents were actually more excited than I was. Because they put a lot of effort into my seven years here in the US and I think it’s very natural to be proud of me,” said Erdenee. Erdenee’s teachers also shared in her excitement. “Well I’m really happy for her and really proud of her. She is very deserving. I wasn’t surprised,” said Ms. Michaels, a coordinators for LHS’s Gifted Education Program. Princeton, founded in 1746, is one of the most highly ranked universities in the world. Notable alumni include Michelle Obama, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and James Madison. This tradition and challenging academic environment caught Erdenee’s attention. “Princeton was one of my first choices. I like it because they focus a lot on undergrad. It’s basically the dream school for undergrads and it is ranked very high. I wanted the environment. To be among very smart people, to be challenged by my classmates and by the curriculum,” said Erdenee. Though Erdenee feels she would have flourished in any university setting and applied to several other colleges like Harvard, Cornell, and Columbia, she says she was the most excited and humbled to be ac-
Expertly playing the violin, senior Elbeg Erdenee performs at the Gala Concert on Nov. 6. The proceeds of the Gala Concert went to the school’s music department. Photo by Gage Nelson
cepted into Princeton and gladly accepted their offer. Admission into a preeminent university like Princeton is fiercely competitive with some similar school’s having acceptance rates between 5 and 6 percent. Though there is no exact formula for acceptance, experts explain universities want students who not only do well on standardized tests and get good grades but who are well rounded individuals. “They want kids who are well rounded. They don’t just want a perfect ACT score. They want you to be in as any activities as you can, and it doesn’t have to be sports. It can be music; it can be drama. They want you to display more than one thing well at the same time,” says Mr. Hood. And Erdenee exhibits and embodies all these Behaviors and traits. In addition to taking as many AP classes as she possibly can, Erdenee utilized numerous independent studies in subjects such as French, German, and environmental science. Erdenee also has an accomplished musical record, being an outstanding player in LHS’s Orchestra for her entire high school career. “Not only does she have an amazing drive and work ethic and a seriousness about her studies, she’s just very intelligent and very interested in learning. And that is an exciting thing for teachers to see,” said Ms. Michaels. Besides flowing praise, Erdenee’s teachers also shared their belief that Erdenee will experience great success at Princeton no matter what she chose to study, which may end up being microbiology. “I haven’t really locked things into place yet [in terms of a major]. But I’ve been thinking about molecular biology. I’m very interested in molecular biology. I’ve been doing a lab internship at KU in the molecular biology department. So far I’ve been enjoying it. I feel like I’m in my niche in the lab,” explained Erdenee.
Unique senior offers opinion on pressing issues
Senior Noah Nunn gives his take on everything from his own utopia to peeing on a king’s shoe BY PETER ROMANO The following is an interview conducted questioning senior Noah Nunn on some of life’s toughest queries. Q: What was your most embarrassing moment? A: “In high school?” Q: Ever. Senior Noah Nunn A:“Probably when I was working out and then my swim trunks ripped in front of everybody. It just full-blown open. It was terrible.” Q: Was that here? A: “Yeah.”
May 14, 2013
Q: Was there nothing underneath? A: “No I was wearing boxers, but still. You could hear the rip, and it just echoed through the room.” Q: Complete silence? A: “You could hear a pen drop.” Q: How many licks does it take you not someone, but you, to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? A: “I’d say anywhere from about 12 to 24.57 specifically. Because you know, sometimes it depends on how much saliva is in your mouth and how thick the Tootsie Pop is.” Q: What was a really dramatic change that you went through in your life? A: “I went from wearing tripp pants, band tees, and having purple hair to wearing polos, shorts, and having really short hair. In one day.” Q: If you could only listen to five albums for the rest of your life, what five would they be? A: “Disturbed - Indestructible, The Protomen’s self titled album, Dying Fetus - Descend Into Depravity, Nile - Ithyphallic, Odd Future - Radical Mixtape.”
Q: If your house was on fire, what’s the one thing you would take with you? Assuming all the living things make it out. A: “My pillow pet, Mr. Shark.” Q: What’s the worst advice you’ve ever received? And it wasn’t a joke, it was legit advice. A: “From my mother, when I really didn’t want to dance she told me ‘just go out there and do whatever you do’ and everybody started laughing at me. Which was the second most embarrassing moment of my life.” Q: What would a utopian society be to you? A: “To make it school appropriate and not say everybody is dead. Everybody has an equal plate. Just pure, raw equality. Even in minor populations we have some slight privilege even though, you know, there’s a ton underprivileged still, but everybody on the exact same playing field. That’s my utopian society.” Q: What’s your earliest memory? A: “Peeing on the king of Sweden’s shoe. I’m
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not kidding. I was 5 years old. I was born in Salina, Kan., but I lived in Lindsborg, Kan., which is a Swedish colonized area. The king of Sweden came to my neighbors, and I used to run around naked all the time, so I peed on his shoe. I can give you my mother’s phone number to confirm that story because it sounds ridiculous.” Q: If someone made a movie about your life, what would you title it? A: “I would want Quentin Tarantino to direct it. And let’s just go with something simple, ‘The Misadventures Of Noah Nunn.’ ” Q: And what actor would you want to play you? A: “Myself, of course. But if I have to choose somebody, then definitely Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.” Q: What’s something most people don’t know about you? A: “I sleep with blankets. Like cuddly blankets. I call them my woobies.”
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