Just recently, out of 1.5 million entrants, our own Reagan Rattler, Ethan Rodriguez, won something very special. Ethan was one of the top 50,000 scoring students for PSAT scores, earning the National Merit Scholarship. Not only did he maintain outstanding grades throughout this year, he is also a star on Reagan’s cross country, track, and field teams. In an interview with Ethan, we asked a few questions, looking to pick his brain and find out what it costs to be a stand-out student athlete. Here is the interview below:
What did you do to earn the National Merit Scholarship?
“To earn the award I scored in the top 10% of Hispanic PSAT takers as a junior.”
How do you feel about winning it?
“I am happy to receive the award, it looks great for college applications.”
What are your plans for the future?
“I will graduate this spring and attend college in the fall.”
Who inspires you to work so hard?
“My dad really inspires me, he taught me the value of working hard in whatever I do. He was a talented cyclist when he was younger and knows what it is like to perform at a high level.”
What are your goals for the current and upcoming season?
“I want to get to state in cross country and medal at state in track. My goal is to break the school records in the 1600 and 800 in track this season.”
Do you plan to run after high school?
“I do plan to run in college. After a rough junior year filled with nagging injuries and an unfortunately timed COVID related absence around state […], I failed to gain the attention of D1 colleges I wanted last season. I plan to more than make up for that this season. I am still open as to where I will go to college.”
Ethan Rodriguez is a very promising athlete, working hard in school and in sports. Finding balance through life can be difficult, but Ethan shows that it can be done in an impressive way. Reagan looks forward to seeing what he can do during this upcoming track season.