Back in October, Heights High seniors Remy Bourbeau, William Larkin, and Gus Szpak were announced as National Merit Scholars. The scholars recently shared their experiences taking Advanced Placement (AP) and College Credit Plus (CCP) classes, extracurricular activities that they are involved in, and Heights High faculty that have made an impact on them during their high school careers.

Remy and Gus are National Merit Scholar Semifinalists in the 2025 competition, and have the opportunity to advance to the finalist level and qualify for National Merit Scholarships. William is a Commended Student, placing among the top 5 percent of the students who entered.

Nationally, 16,000 semifinalists were recognized, representing less than 1 percent of the U.S. high school seniors, as were 34,000 commended students. More than 1.3 million students entered the National Merit Scholarship qualifying competition by taking the PSAT test in the fall of their junior year.

Remy Bourbeau is currently taking AP AB Calculus, Computer Science and Physics, CCP College Composition, and has taken several engineering courses through Heights Career Tech. He is the captain of the Boys Cross Country and Outdoor Track teams and a member and unofficial leader of the Swim team. Remy is also part of the Heights High Stage Crew, plays violin in the Heights High Symphony, and has been a team captain for the Robotics Club. The four courses he has taken as part of the Engineering Technology CTE program have been “exceptionally enjoyable” for Remy. “I liked the project-based and fairly self-driven curriculum,” he shared, “as well as the direct experience with useful equipment and with problem solving skills.” After graduation, he plans to study Electrical and possibly Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, or MIT. Remy would like to thank Mr. Nachman for “contributing to my interest in engineering” as well as for his role in leading the Robotics team “which had an immense impact on me.” He would also like to thank his AP Language and Composition teacher, Mrs. White, whose class “substantially improved my writing, which is a very important skill even in STEM professions.”

Gus Szpak is enjoying the AP Statistics course he is currently taking because he has not studied it before and it has helped him “discover that it is a very interesting discipline of math.” He is also taking AP Micro and Macro Economics and Physics, CCP Introduction to American studies, and CCP College Composition. The AP Computer Science class he took his junior year stood out because it is a topic that interests him and aligns with his plans for college and beyond. Gus is currently a member of the Academic Challenge team and previously participated in the Robotics Club. He was also a volunteer at a local preschool summer camp for three summers. Szpak plans to major in Computer Science at Case Western Reserve University or Cleveland State University. He would like to thank Ms. Francis for supporting him throughout his time at Heights High and Mr. Meister for “his excellent teaching of both World History and American Studies.”

William Larkin is currently taking AP AB Calculus, Biology, Environmental Science, Microeconomics, and Statistics. The AP US History class he took his sophomore year made an immense impact on how he sees his own place in history. “APUSH allowed me to place myself in the context of historical movements promoting justice and change,” he said, “an ability that is vital to truly affect change in the world.” The CCP Urban Studies course he took at Tri-C has helped him pursue his interest in city planning and realize how “social and economic justice can be achieved through infrastructure.” He is a four-year member of the Baseball team, part of Heights High’s Environmental Committee, and is the secretary for the high school’s National Honor Society. Larkin’s top school choices are Brown University, Northwestern University, and Rochester University and he is interested in studying Political Science and Government. William would like to thank Mrs. Strine for making him a better writer and her help with the college admissions process. He would also like to thank Mr. Bifulco for teaching “the best class at Heights” in AP US History and for “continuing to provide me with insightful conversations and learning opportunities through Student Service.”