Lakewood Ranch student earns scholastic honor

Most teachers look for ways to get their students to work harder.

Jenny Elsdon, an English teacher at Braden River High, said she had to find ways to work harder herself because of one of her students.

Elsdon had senior Luke Rowland, one of 16,000 students in the United States to earn recognition as a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist, in her class last year when he was a junior.

“He makes me work harder to be the teacher that he deserves,” Elsdon said. “This is a big deal (that he’s a semifinalist). It has been a long time, probably 20 years, since I’ve had a student qualify for this. He is so humble about his own intelligence, but that’s because he’s an old soul. He’s 500 years old and he values hard work and expects the same from other people.”

Rowland was working at his part-time job in September as a stock boy at Ralph Lauren in Ellenton when he received an email from one of his teachers. He was a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist.

“I didn’t even know I had applied for it,” he said.

He was automatically entered when his PSAT scores were in the top 1%.

“It is always, ‘Yes, ma’am, no, ma’am,’” Elsdon said.

Elsdon would give a calendar of assignments to the class and Rowland would be ahead of everyone else.

“He came in to see me the summer before the course even began,” Elsdon said. “He met with me, introduced himself and asked me what he could do to get ready for the class. That was unusual.”

Rowland’s work ethic and love for learning has been infectious.

“He makes everyone tow the line,” Elsdon said. “He gets those who know him to respect him and do their job.”

National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced beginning in April through July. Nationally, 7,500 scholarships will be awarded.

Rowland said he doesn’t think much about the future.

“I don’t have much free time because I’m taking five AP (advanced placement) courses right now — physics, literature, calculus, government and chemistry, and I am sending in my college applications. I volunteer when I have free time, mostly at my Key Club events and lots of races around the community. Plus, I have a girlfriend, so that takes up some time, naturally.”

In terms of his volunteer time, he likes to support childhood education and development.

“My mother, Kristine Rowland, read to me in the womb, and she played music for me when I was little. I can’t imagine that didn’t help me get to where I am today. Ever since I was a 5-year-old, I could speak full sentences without a problem. Between the ACT and SAT, I missed one English question, and I attribute that to my mom because she used to be an editor.”

He has been working so hard this semester he said Hurricane  Irma actually benefited him by giving him a week’s break from school. “I was so burned out,” he said.

He attributes his success academically to being inquisitive. He said even classes he doesn’t particularly like keep his interest because he likes learning new things.

Eventually, he will pick between Stanford, Harvard, Vanderbilt and Notre Dame.

“I want to get out of Florida,” he said. “I like the people here, but what it comes down to for me is hating the weather. The humidity feels like I’m constantly walking around outside with a wet blanket wrapped around me.”