An accelerated math class at Isanti Middle School helped three then-seventh graders make an unexpected connection.
“They told us they were going to put us in an advanced math course, and because of that, we were moved into the eighth-grade lunch,” Taylor Kinnunen explained. “We sat at the same lunch table for three months.”
Emily Auers added, “We asked the same, awkward ‘get to know you’ questions. I was looking for somewhere to sit down, and the counselor said, ‘You can sit with Sam and Taylor Kinnunen.’
“At some point I figured it out which one was which, although I just basically guessed very successfully early on.”
The trio became more than lunch pals, eventually becoming good friends. Now they share another connection besides that awkward lunch table: They are Cambridge-Isanti’s three National Merit Scholars.
The National Merit Scholarship program rewards students who score well on the Preliminary SAT, generally taken during a student’s junior year, and also meet other program requirements. Those high scorers can earn both recognition and scholarship opportunities.
All three shared the credit for the award with their school and teachers.
“We have had 12 years of teachers who have helped us understand this material,” Sam Kinnunen said. “We wouldn’t have been able to do that without them, whether it’s communicating effectively and providing the support system that resulted in, for example, a math class that is two years ahead of our level.
“Not every kid has that opportunity, but we had that opportunity because this community supported us.”
The honor can provide a stepping stone for all three, each of whom have ambitious goals for their lives.
“I’m so proud of us all – and I can’t wait to see what we do in the future,” Auers said.
Here is a closer look at the three award honorees.
Emily Auers
Auers admits she did not know much about the program before the three of them were named semifinalists last fall.
“When we found out we were semifinalists, I didn’t know what that meant,” she said. “As I delved into it, it was validating for the work we put in here in high school. …
“Receiving the news that we were semifinalists was validating.”
Auers was a captain of the economics team this year, and she was in ProStart and Link Crew last year. She also played softball until this, her senior year, where she focused on Model U.N. and National Honor Society.
She said the value in winning this award came in the financial opportunities it created.
“When it comes to merit-based scholarships, it helps to make something that I hope to attend more possible,” Auers said.
Auers, who also will earn an associate degree from Anoka-Ramsey Community College, plans to attend George Washington University. She plans to major in environmental studies, and she hopes to study at New York University as a senior.
“I’d like to major in environmental studies and international relations, public policy, or something in that vein,” she said. “I’m definitely going to go to grad school or law school, but I’m not sure where or what I will study.
“I would like to see what connections I am able to make. I think that will influence my decision; and if my plans change in college because I like some pathway better, I’m open to that.”
Auers said she was nervous to list everyone she wanted to thank for helping her earn this honor.
“I don’t want to miss anyone, so I want to thank all of my friends,” she said. “Starting my sophomore year, I started to build my confidence, and that has helped me accomplish more. They help me to have the confidence to do things I might not have done in the past because I was too scared of messing up or failing.
“I also want to thank my parents, Stuart and Sonia Auers, for being super supportive all through high school and making my college decision. They just want the best for me; they help me think things through and determine what’s best for me.”
Sam Kinnunen
Sam Kinnunen said receiving the notification that she was a semifinalist in the program was exciting.
“I kind of knew what it was before it happened, but I didn’t think I had a chance to receive it,” she admitted. “I took the PSAT as a sophomore, but as a junior I had forgotten that. So I was just practicing for the SAT, not really trying to earn this selective award.
“So becoming a semifinalist was really exciting.”
Kinnunen ran cross country as a freshman and sophomore, but school commitments caused her to stop running. She participated in Link Crew and NHS while participating on the Economics team; she also was a captain of the Math team and Model U.N.
She thinks the award is an honor shared by the school.
“To be a part of this national system and have them honor us for our achievements is pretty remarkable,” Kinnunen said. “We tend to not realize that we are capable of those sorts of things.”
Kinnunen plans to attend the University of North Dakota and double major in aerospace and mechanical engineering.
“I hope to participate in an accelerated program for mechanical engineering, and I plan to participate in Air Force ROTC,” she said. “My ideal current path would be to join the Air Force and get flight training.”
Kinnunen said she also is hesitant to name names.
“There are too many people who have supported me on this journey to properly thank them all,” she said. “I want to thank my parents, Jeff and Lori Kinnunen, because we are a tight-knit family, and they have supported Taylor and I all through this process.
“We’re very fortunate to have the support system we have, both with our family and our school. I know this isn’t an achievement I got on my own.”
Taylor Kinnunen
Taylor Kinnunen participated on Math team and the Economics team, and she also was a member of Link Crew, NHS and was a member of Model U.N.
“For NHS and Link Crew, I felt I could help people coming into high school because of the experience I have had,” she said. “NHS also helps the community, and I ready wanted to do that.
“Model U.N. for me was about problem-solving; I came for the problem-solving, and I stayed for the people. Math League was a way to challenge myself and test myself; Economics was very much about the people.”
She said the award was a testament to the hard work all three of these award winners did.
“Merit [scholarships] unlock a lot more financial aid than [aid based on] need does for some families,” she said. “This meant someone recognized that our hard work should translate in more scholarship money, lower costs to colleges and less barriers to higher education.”
Kinnunen plans to attend the University of North Dakota and major in biomedical engineering.
“I’m likely going to pursue an accelerated master’s program while I’m there,” she said. “I already will have my associate degree, so my hope is that a five-year program can be finished in four.
“Then I’d like to use my skills in neural engineering. We still don’t know much about the brain; people who have migraines sometimes don’t know why, and we still have neural disorders that we don’t understand how they work, so we don’t have a cure.”
Kinnunen shared the same concern about missing an important person in her thank you’s.
“There are a lot of people I should thank,” she said. “My parents were very supportive of what my interests were. Even if they didn’t know what something might be, they still supported me.
“There were a lot of people in this high school who did that, too. … I fear to start listing names because there were so many people who helped me.”
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