By Jacqueline Risch
It’s time to start calling Hannah Matsumoto Hannah Math-sumoto! Hannah, a junior, has not only finished senior-level calculus, but has also been awarded the AP Scholar with Distinction honor! Over the course of her high school career, her hard work in taking and studying for over five AP exams has granted this impressive title.
When realizing her impressive feat, she says she felt “pretty proud. I put a lot of work into studying for them. I feel like it took a lot of effort, but it was nice to see something come out of it.” To earn this honor, Hannah has achieved at least an average of 3.5 on all the tests she’s taken and has earned a 3 or higher on more than five tests. That’s a lot of studying!
When asked why she chose to continue taking AP exams she said, “Well I had a background in the sciences before coming to TPA, and I thought it was very useful to keep learning, even outside of school.” While Tempe Prep doesn’t directly offer AP classes, Hannah finds that “the TPA curriculum overlaps with the AP exams,” which provides her with a better understanding of the material before she takes tests.
In addition to Hannah earning this award, TPA alumni have achieved similar accomplishments. Cameron Pickard (TPA ’18) earned the AP Scholar with Distinction as well, and Zane Pautzke (TPA ’19), Carter Sampson (TPA ’18), and Chris Moffitt (TPA ’16) all earned the AP Scholar with Honor title! While this accomplishment does look great on college resumes, this type of rigorous studying isn’t for everyone.
Thankfully, you don’t need to take AP exams to get into your dream schools. For example, many TPA students have gotten into Ivy League schools such as Stanford, Princeton, Dartmouth, and the University of Pennsylvania without taking any AP tests! However, if you decide you would like to pursue this course of study, Mrs. Moffitt says she is happy to proctor any exam a student wishes to take. YOU could even become the next AP scholar!
AP tests are proctored at TPA in the spring, and registration for them closes in March. If you do decide to take an AP test later this year, Hannah suggests to “pick an AP test you really want to learn about or can earn college credit for.” Great work, Hannah, and good luck to all our shining Knights!