Freshman Alexander Mays “slept late” all finals week. Not because of suspension, as you might assume, but because of excellent grades. His 4.0 cumulative grade point average exempted him from all six of his finals.
His teachers testify to his success.
“He takes his work very seriously,” says English teacher Mrs. Beverly Hicks. “(He) really sets a standard for the other students.”
Math student teacher Mr. Phillip Nguyen says “(He) engages and thinks about the material outside of class.” Both teachers say that he completes every assignment.
Mays says he is motivated by his parents, but also himself. “I have to come to school one way or another, so I might as well be good.”
He is also motivated by his future. “The better I do in school, the better job I can get. The better job I get, the more money I can make. The more money I can make, the happier I can be.”
He isn’t too keen on homework, however. “I despise homework,” he says. However he has found a solution. “I try to get my work done at school.” He suggests this technique to others as well.
As far as advice, Mays says, “If you even slightly don’t understand, raise your hand and ask away.” He also suggests staying focused, and put extra emphasis into saying, “Try!” He says, “I know that if I just goof around, I’m not going to get any work done.”
Though Mays is only a freshman, he already has universities in mind. He’s currently considering Michigan Institute of Technology and Michigan State University. He says he wants to study astronomy or technology, but also likes math. This is the same young man who has memorized 86 digits of pi.
“I love science; it’s interesting,” he says. “I am an astronomy nerd.”
Wherever he ends up, he seems headed to find his place in the stars.