Union Seniors Pursue Excellence
ACADEMIC RECOGNITION: Six seniors have been named 2014-2015 National Merit Finalists at Union High School, 6636 S. Mingo Road. From left, Jeremy Roberts, Delaney Couri, Lindsay Martin, Daniella Royer, Nitesh Mathur and Megan Harju.
Courtesy Union Public Schools
Six seniors from Union High School have been named 2015 National Merit Finalists:
Megan Harju, daughter of Alan and Dianne Harju of Tulsa is a Union lifer with plans to major in electrical or environmental engineering. “I’m interested in alternative energy, solar and wind energy, and how electricity is used,” she says.
Harju plans to attend Washington University in St. Louis or the University of Oklahoma.
This year, she has been involved in an independent research project that is focused on energy efficiency and solar energy, which has only increased her interest in the subject, she continues.
Harju plays the saxophone and oboe and performs in various school bands, including marching band, jazz band, orchestra and student-led quartets.
In addition, she is involved in the National Honor Society, a member of the Ultimate Frisbee team and, at church, is the leader of an eighth grade girls small group: “they’re like my little sisters,” she says.
She is currently enrolled in three AP courses.
Lindsay Martin, daughter of Alan and Elizabeth Martin of Tulsa, is a Union lifer. She has her college choices narrowed down to the University of Oklahoma, Syracuse University or University of Southern California.
She is interested in politics, public relations and journalism but is considering a degree in public relations with a smaller focus on political influence or nonprofit organizations.
Regarding her interest in nonprofit work, “I want to make a difference and feel like I’m doing something worthwhile, while also dealing with important issues,” Martin says.
Martin is enrolled in four AP courses and involved in the Environmental Club as one of its presidents.
Jeremy Roberts, son of James and Cheryl Roberts of Tulsa, is a Union lifer, captain of the tennis team, president of the environmental club and vice president of the National Honor Society.
He plants to attend Harvard or Fordham University in New York, with Harvard being his first choice.
He is considering a degree in either philosophy or environmental studies, with his overall interest being in the political spectrum and affecting public policy, he says.
“We see a lot of political apathy in my generation, so I would like to work at getting my generation more engaged.”
He says that his current AP government class has helped to encourage him in that direction.
Roberts is also currently enrolled in four AP classes and an advanced course, “which is like an AP course,” he says: Calculus 3 and Differential Equations.
Daniella Royer, daughter of Christopher and Grace Royer of Tulsa, only moved to Oklahoma at the beginning of her junior year in high school.
Her interests include neuroscience, economics and middle eastern studies. Her top college picks are Duke, Princeton, Harvard, and she’s already been accepted to the University of Oklahoma.
Royer was born in Turkey and lived there for nine years. However, her father is American and her mother is South Korean. “I am a mix of three cultures,” she says. “So I’m interested in cultures and how culture affects our thinking which affects our actions.”
She’s also interested in the idea of attending medical school in order to help with humanitarian efforts. “Living internationally, I have seen so many things, and there are so many occupations that can feel at home with,” says Royer. “The hard part is narrowing it down.”
Royer is president of (Tulsa Union Medical Society) and plays violin, piano and viola. She founded a string quartet that plays at weddings, and she and her sister founded Music and Me, a summer program that promotes music by taking it to kids who don’t get to hear music very much, she says.
Delaney Couri, daughter of Rick and Christine Couri of Broken Arrow and Nitesh Mathur, son of Navin and Sangeeta Mathur of Broken Arrow will be highlighted in the Union Boundary April issue.
Officials with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation said the Union students are among approximately 15,000 finalists in the 60th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
Finalists have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth about $33 million that will be offered next spring.
Updated 03-02-2015
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