[slideshow_deploy id=’84250′]With the mentality of “maintaining moral composure in the face of opposition,” senior Nathan Fontaine balanced three clubs, a varsity sport, church and school while keeping a 4.0 unweighted GPA, all in hopes of being accepted into his desired school: the University of Florida.
“[My biggest motivator during high school to maintain my grades was the fact that] I wanted to get into the most prestigious school in Florida, UF. After I researched all of the in-state schools, it turned out to be the best value as well as the highest quality education,” Fontaine said.
While maintaining his grades, Fontaine participated in Math Club, Mu Alpha Theta, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Math Lab. Fontaine was a varsity tennis starter and was a crew leader for Discovery Church’s children’s ministry.
To retain at the top of the class, Fontaine stressed the importance of taking challenging classes. Challenging classes raise GPA, and Fontaine chose to take them in order to fulfill his personal goal of having a 5.0 GPA.
“Unweighted GPA is trivial. Class rank is a true indicator of success. Don’t get scared of tougher classes, they help your class rank,” Fontaine said.
One of Fontaine’s biggest accomplishments in high school was earning $7,000 of college credit by passing Advanced Placement exams. Fontaine took 10 AP classes, which was essential raising his GPA.
“You have to know your limits; it’s hard to maintain a 4.0 with 10 AP’s,” Fontaine said.
Fontaine’s favorite class was Colleen Dugan’s Digital Design classes.
“I learned practical knowledge from a very respectable and kind instructor. Everyday in Mrs. Dugan’s class was the highlight of my day,” Fontaine said.
Fontaine plans to complete a 4-year master’s program in finance.
“I chose [finance] because it interests me and the [finance] program at UF has really good job placement,” Fontaine said.