Westhampton Beach Student Named Semifinalist For National Merit Scholarship

For Gavin Ehlers of Westhampton Beach High School, the start to senior year is now filled with even more prosperity and potential: He was named one of 16,000 nationwide semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship.

Gavin is the only semifinalist from an East End High School, according to a list of semifinalists from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, the administrator of the scholarship.

Half of the semifinalists are typically awarded the National Merit Scholarship, according to a September 15 news release from the scholarship corporation. Semifinalists are chosen based on their performance on the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, administered in the fall of a student's junior year — the semifinalist cohort represents less than 1 percent of United States high school seniors.

Scholarship recipients are awarded up to $2,500.

“I came out feeling like I did pretty well on the PSAT,” Gavin said. “It was a pleasant surprise to see that I got it.”

In addition to his studies, Mr. Ehlers is an accomplished student-athlete. His numerous athletic accomplishments include a Suffolk County title in the mile while running for the Westhampton Beach boys varsity outdoor track team this past June, after he already won a county title in April while running for the cross country team.

The high school senior emphasized that running is a large part of his life: “That's where I want to spend a lot of my time; I like to be dedicated, consistent there — and, it's a good place for me to try to push myself and see what I can do,” he said.

And for him, having a consistent running schedule helps keep him organized across all his activities. Likewise, he said running and academics require a lot of the same skills and practices.

“You can’t really be a good runner if you're not consistent, on top of your training and your stretching and your other exercises,” he said. “I think that translates well into the academics: you have to be on top of your homework, keeping up on your classwork, knowing what's going on in all your classes.”

Gavin said he wants to continue running, after graduating high school, for a college athletics program. His parents, Lauren Battista and Mike Ehlers, said a few schools have expressed interest in recruiting him; Gavin Ehlers declined to say what specific programs he was eyeing, noting that he wanted rigor in academics as well.

“He's a bright kid — he's really focused and sets his goals high," his father said. “He doesn't take the easy path.”

In addition to running, Gavin said in his spare time he tries to catch up on sleep and “keep in touch with other people.”

In high school, Gavin said his favorite subjects have been in math and sciences. So much so that as a sophomore, he completed Advanced Placement Calculus BC, the second course in the College Board’s two-part calculus curriculum, which covers university-level topics including parametric equations, polar coordinates and the Euler method.

Jacki Olivotti, Gavin’s guidance counselor, said he is one of the only students who has ever completed AP Calculus BC in their 10th grade. Some schools on the East End do not even offer the course.

“That's a huge accomplishment,” Ms. Olivotti said. “It's a pleasure working with a student like Gavin … teachers look forward to having him in their class.”

Gavin said all of his high school teachers were excellent, but highlighted his Advanced Placement science teachers in particular.

But education is a also often a collaborative, peer-to-peer process — Gavin said other students, including Madison Quinn, have helped propel his success: “We keep each other accountable,” he said.

In addition to being a semifinalist for the scholarship, Gavin is also an AP Scholar, with Distinction.

"We're really proud of him — he's always been a dedicated student, hardworking,” said Ms. Battista.

According to the news release, about 15,000 of the 16,000 semifinalists advance to become finalists — which requires a scholarship application. Winners will be announced from April to July.