When notified of her selection as a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist, Mission Bay High senior Anna Hubbard said: “I was surprised and honored. A very close friend of mine qualified the year before so I thought it would be a cool thing to try to do.”
Fewer than 1% of graduating high school seniors in the United States earn the semifinalist ranking.
Hubbard’s educational journey is a distinguished one. “I went to Curie Elementary first through third grade and then transferred to Hawthorne Elementary for the seminar (gifted) program in fourth and fifth grade,” Hubbard said. “I went to Innovation Middle School and I have been at Mission Bay for all four years of high school. I enrolled at Mission Bay for the IB (International Baccalaureate) program diploma.”
Hubbard is a well-rounded individual with significant interests and achievements inside and outside of school.
“I have been singing since fourth grade in various ensembles and as a soloist,” she said. “I love it, both for its own sake and because of the community surrounding it.”
The Swing Choir, Mission Bay’s premier choral ensemble, has been a second home for Hubbard all four years of high school. Ella is also a student leader of the Swing Choir.
Outside of school, she has participated in the San Diego Children’s Choir since seventh grade, sang in the opera “Hansel and Gretel” with San Diego State University, and joined the San Diego Master Choral for its spring Concert. Hubbard has also performed opera in Europe. Next summer she will be in New York.
“The experience of a concert is euphoric, especially the feeling of looking out into the audience – as well as to your fellow musicians – seeing all the work you have put into the concert reflected to you,” Hubbard said. “It is a rewarding experience, no matter the audience or the venue.”
Hubbard has also developed a passion for science. “Like many teens, I grew up surrounded by the impending doom of climate change, and for a long time found it overwhelming. Loving environmental science, marine biology and ecology snuck up on me. My love for what I can best describe as ‘large scale biology’ has grown,” she said.
“I find the science of helping improve the environment in ways small and large super interesting. I don’t know if I am the person to fix everything, but I hope I can fix something, and even inspire someone else to do the same.”
NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROCESS
The National Merit Scholarship process can easily stretch into a 16 to 18-month process. Starting with the PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) score in her junior year, Hubbard’s selection as a semifinalist was announced in mid-September. What’s required during the next eight months? Several steps are on her horizon.
– Continue to maintain a consistently high record of academic performance in all high school classes and college-level classes taken before high school graduation.
– Take the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) and earn scores that confirm last year’s PSAT performance that resulted in being named a semi-finalist.
– Complete the National Merit Scholarship application process and submit the required essay.
– Be fully endorsed for Finalist standing and recommended for a National Merit Scholarship by Dr. Brown, Mission Bay High School pagsrincipal.
– Complete all daily and weekly homework and class assignments, AP requirements and IB assigned work, all Swing Choir rehearsals and performances, and find time for family and friends.
Hubbard is not sure what college she will attend. “Right now, I’m looking at schools like Northwestern, UBC (University of British Columbia), and Boston University where double majors (science and music) or dual degrees are even a possibility,” she said.
“A dual enrollment with a school and a music conservatory, like the Johns Hopkins and Peabody Conservatory dual degree program, would also be cool, but I have to get in first. National Merit is a stepping stone to that goal that I decided to try and hop onto,” Hubbard said.
