Bronxville News

A Bronxville High School Senior Works Out the Odds Which Have Come Up in His Favor

The month of May has been one that Bronxville High School Senior Jeremy Freeman will remember fondly for decades to come. His Varsity Baseball team made it to the sectional semi-finals, he turned 18 on the day of the school budget vote and proudly exercised his right to vote following Senior Day activities, he committed to Georgetown University, and wrapped up a year of studies with a 23-page paper on synthetic biology. And as if that wasn’t enough, Jeremy was named a National Merit Scholarship winner, a distinguished honor bestowed to only thirty students in the Hudson Valley this year.

The National Merit Scholarship Award is based on academic achievement, difficulty of courses, standardized test scores, contributions and leadership in school and community, a personal essay, and a school letter of recommendation. Jeremy’s academic career has been full of challenging courses. He easily expressed his gratitude for having the opportunity to choose from many robust and interesting classes. “As students, we are so lucky to have an incredible teaching staff here at The Bronxville School,” said Jeremy. “Some of my favorite classes were with Mr. Cross, Ms. Kim, and Mr. Cornish. AP Physics 2 was one of the most enjoyable and interesting classes I have taken, and with a class size of only 11 students, we were able to really get a lot out of it. Also, anyone who can make math fascinating is very special, like Mr. Halling.”

Another area of consideration is performance on the SATs. Jeremy’s approach to preparing for the SAT involved a dedication to practice and commitment to his studies. His success is a testament to working hard and a reflection of how he aligns his academic endeavors with his passions. “Jeremy is one of those students who engages in his interests in a way that leads to knowledge and excellence,” said Ann Meyer, Principal of Bronxville High School. “It has been demonstrated time and time again. Whether it’s a perfect score on the AP Computer Science exam because he had a personal interest in mastering JavaScript or as part of the first cohort who participated in the Stanford University Artificial Intelligence course offered earlier this year, his ability to synergize interests with personal expectations is remarkable.”

In choosing a topic for his NMS essay, Jeremy put the emphasis on ‘personal’ by writing about a favorite family activity - Perudo, a South American dice strategy game. The game is a combination of guesswork, bluff, luck, skill, and guile. Players bid on how many dice of a certain number are on the table. They are eliminated when their bids are successfully challenged and have no more dice. The last person with any dice left wins. Jeremy confesses that he rarely wins the game because he finds himself overthinking while his older brother often emerges as the victor. “I would often find myself over-fixated on working out the odds, instead of just being in the moment, going with the flow, acting the part, and also just playing the game,” said Jeremy. “My NMS essay captured the moment that I was able to do all of that, and for the first time, I won the game. It was a good reminder, not only for future rounds with my family, but also in life. Trust the planning, effort, and work, and most importantly - yourself. Then let it all go and tell yourself, “I got this.”