October 26, 2013: a day across the country where students woke up early on Saturday to take one of the most important tests of their lives.
For junior Nathan Fox, this day marked the first and last ACT test he will ever have to take. Making a perfect score of 36, Nathan joins the less than 1% of all high school students to achieve the score, according to Kaplan’s 2013 ACT prep book.
“I was surprised and super happy,” said Nathan, describing his reaction after discovering the news.
Nathan’s counselor, Mr. Fowler was thrilled to learn about Nathan’s score. “[Nathan] is a very bright young man; I’m very excited for him and Bob Jones.”
According to Mrs. Roberts, the college and career counselor, making a 36 is rare even for Bob Jones’ students, with only one to four students making the score each year.
Only studying one hour for the ACT the night before, Nathan credits his perfect score not only to “getting a lot of questions right,” but to also taking a majority of advanced classes.
“I’m taking the most advanced classes I can right now, I’m in Pre-AP Biology and Calculus,” the junior explains.
Nathan has received a primarily positive response from his peers, his score report reaching 60 likes on Facebook.
However, when asked hypothetically about making a perfect score on a first try, the moods of various Bob Jones students darkens slightly to reveal underlying jealousy. Students’ remarks ranged from sarcastic “kudos to them,” to “it must be a gift,” to “I both have spite and admiration for those people.”
Regardless of what others think, Nathan remains humble in light of his achievement. An avid music lover, he participates in the Bob Jones Jazz Band, Choir, and his church’s choir. Even though music is an important part of his life, he views music as more of a hobby than a career goal.
Still undecided on where he wants to attend college, Nathan claims he doesn’t have a “dream college,” but knows he wants to major in biochemistry to pursue a career researching disease control.
