EDWARDSVILLE – Edwardsville High School senior Alyssa Voepel recently had reasons to celebrate with joy at her home.
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In fact, when she learned she scored a picture perfect 36 on her ACT exam, she literally started to jump up and down in celebration. To date, the perfect score on the ACT is one of her biggest achievements.
A 36 is the highest a high school student can receive on the Composite ACT and it is so rare that only one-tenth of 1-perfect of students receive that score, Tammy Voepel, Alyssa’s mother, said. She is an associate professor in the mathematics department at SIUE.
“I was super excited when I saw the scores with my computer access,” Alyssa said. “I didn’t think it was a done deal of getting a 36 when I finished the test. I was really shocked because the reason I took it again was to get a 36. It is a super score.”
Alyssa’s previous highest score with the ACT Composite before was a 35 on a practice test.
Tammy was equally as excited about Alyssa’s score and said it is just an example of all the hard work she has done.
“A perfect ACT is very rare,” she said. “In the letter we received, it said that less than one-tenth of one percent of students who take the exam get a perfect score. It is very nice to know her hard work is paying off.”
For Tammy and her husband, Kevin, Alyssa’s father, their children and family have always come first above most other priorities. Alyssa’s father used to be a math teacher but now works in the Ferguson/Florissant, Mo., School District as a math coordinator. Education in the Voepel family is just a way of life because of what they both do professionally.
Their children, Alyssa, 17, and Kyle, 12, have fit right into that equation growing up. Both Voegel children are exceptional students.
“We always worked and made education a priority with our family,” Tammy Voepel said. “When we were waiting in line to go for a ride at parks, we would ask the kids math puzzles to keep them from being bored. Our kids have always had homework during the summer.”
MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) is Alyssa’s favorite college she’s researched so far. MIT requirements for admission are very selective, her mother said.
“They really look at each student individually to find out if they will have success with their program,” Tammy said. “MIT has a very high retention rate.”
Alyssa’s mother said she believes her daughter will be successful, no matter what school or major she chooses.
“She says right now she wants to go into chemical engineering,” Tammy said.
Alyssa said she likes problem solving so she believes she would fit well into a position as a chemical engineer in the future.
“I am actually thinking of going to college for four years, getting a job in the workforce, then going maybe later on to get my Ph.D.,” she said.
School has always been Alyssa’s focus in high school. She has not participated in anything athletically, although she has been on the math team since sixth grade and is a member of science club. One of the secrets to her success is each night she completes three or four hours of homework.
The Edwardsville senior and her family are members of St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Glen Carbon. She said she is proud of her church affiliation.
Alyssa loves the opportunities the Edwardsville High School administration and faculty have provided for her as a student.
“Edwardsville High School offers a lot of great classes and there is something for everyone,” she said. “You also can get involved with different clubs or sports. I am in three different academic clubs and I love being able to show diversity with the clubs.”
What does the perfect ACT score recipient say to other students aspiring to follow in her footsteps or excel on standardized tests and with their education?
“I would say just try your hardest and don’t be upset if you don’t get a perfect ACT score or the score you want when you take it the first time. You just have to try again.”
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