By Leah Ouellet
Review Staff Intern
Mid-April. That’s when high school juniors across Michigan opened their mailboxes to receive perhaps the most important test results of their lives–their ACT scores.
For one Lake Orion junior, that result opened up a whole new world of opportunities.
‘I just had to sit down, it was crazy,? said Samantha Kaufman.
Kaufman opened up her ACT results to find a composite score of 36. That’s a perfect score. This news came as a shock to her.
‘I was just so surprised, and of course really happy,? she said.
Although she didn’t anticipate such a high score, Kaufman knows why she did so well.
‘I’m really just good at taking standardized tests, and I read fast, which helps,? noted Kaufman. ‘I got a good night’s sleep and ate a good breakfast.?
‘I also think that God really helped me. I prayed that He would help me get the score needed to carry out the plan He has for me the night before; it definitely wasn’t all me,? she humbly added.
In the afterglow of her perfect-score achievement, Kaufman received much congratulations from her family, friends, and surrounding community.
‘My mom was even happier than I was, so she immediately started calling all of our relatives and friends.?
Kaufman is an active member her church, United Methodist Church of Lake Orion. In school, she is part of the National Honor Society and is a three-year member of the varsity cross country team. Through her church, she is a member of the Orion-Mission team, and participates yearly in Project Shalom and the 30-Hour Famine. She recently organized a team for the Relay for Life.
In her spare time, Kaufman likes to read, paint, sketch and run. She recently won first place for a pie-baking contest, which is now another one of her hobbies.
The perfect score means Kaufman has the chance to get into any college she wants; however, her goals for college still remain the same.
‘I still really want to go to U of M, and maybe now I can get a scholarship. I’m considering schools like MIT or Michigan Tech, too.?
Kaufman hopes to go into something in the medical field, perhaps medical research or neuroscience.
‘We here at Lake Orion High School are extremely proud of Samantha Kaufman,? said her counselor, Carol Doll. ‘She is an outstanding young woman who excels personally as well as academically. In the six years since I have been at the high school I have never before had a student achieve a perfect score on the ACT.?
‘I expect that Samantha will be hearing from many colleges and have several scholarship opportunities,? she added. ‘She is truly what Lake Orion Schools are all about.?