(Jenny Berg for St. Cloud Times)
Twice now, Tech High School senior Vinh Nguyen has defied the odds.
He earned a perfect score on the ACTs — something that fewer than 1% of students accomplish — and was named a National Merit Semifinalist, which is something reserved for the top 1% of PSAT-takers.
Nguyen, 18, knows just how impressive those odds are: He is also a member of Tech's math team, which won the Class AA State High School Mathematics League championship in March.
Although Nguyen is a math whiz — and just brainy in general — he wasn't confident he earned a perfect score after taking the ACTs last April.
"Right after, I felt like I got at least a 34. But you can't really be sure," Nguyen said. "I kind of knew I did well enough. I was surprised I got a 36. I wasn't really worried about what number I got; I am just glad I did the best I could."
The ACT assessment helps colleges determine how well students are prepared for college. It has four sections: English, math, reading and science.
In the most recently released test results, Minnesota students had an average composite score of 21.4 out of 36, which was a bit higher than the national average of 20.7.
The ACT testing scheduled for March 24 was canceled due to the pandemic. NPR reported last week a growing number of colleges are announcing ACT and SAT tests will be optional for the class of 2021.
MORE: Tech math team wins state championship
Nguyen prepared by taking practice tests and trying to isolate topics or types of questions where he seemed to struggle.
"It's a pretty strenuous test. It's not something I had fun taking or studying for," he said. "I tried to have the mindset that it was enjoyable. I just tried to convince myself that it was. It made it easier."
Nguyen is the son of Anh Nguyen and Nhung Le of St. Cloud. His father, Anh Nguyen, is a neurologist in Brainerd.
In addition to math team, Nguyen played soccer on the Tech Tigers team and plays violin in the orchestra. He is also taking four Advanced Placement classes — chemistry, economics, literature and psychology — and taking an independent study for math because he has already taken all of the AP math courses offered at Tech.
It was only a few days after Nguyen's math team won state on March 10 that life began to drastically change for students.
On March 15, Gov. Tim Walz announced all public schools needed to close from March 18-27 to plan for distance learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When Walz announced a stay-at-home order would be implemented from March 27 to April 10, he also announced schools would remain closed through at least May 4. Last week, he said there's a "relatively slim" chance students will return to in-school instruction this school year.
For seniors like Nguyen, who are missing out on spring sports and activities, proms and possibly graduation ceremonies, the situation yields a "sort of melancholy type of feeling," he said.
"At first, I was pretty happy that I'd get one or two weeks to relax and get caught up on my homework," he said. "But right now, it's sad that I won't be able to spend that time with people I've known for so long."
MORE: Minnesota ACT scores tops in high participating states
Seniors are now getting an early taste of college, where they make their own schedule and complete assignments online. Nguyen said connecting with other students is important, especially in the more difficult classes. He also spends time texting friends to stay connected.
Nguyen was named a National Merit Finalist and is awaiting decisions from colleges about scholarships before finalizing his choice. He said he wants to study computer engineering or medicine.
"It's definitely disappointing," Nguyen said of the wacky end to his high school career.
But he's pretty pragmatic about the situation, saying multiple times during an interview with the Times that "it just is what it is."
"Everyone will have their own adventures after high school," he said.
Jenny Berg is the cities and schools reporter for the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-259-3680 or jberg@stcloudtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter @bergjenny.
