Scottsdale high school senior gets perfect ACT score
April 27
One Scottsdale high school senior scored a perfect score on his American College Testing (ACT) exam, which is a feat less than 1% of students achieve every year.
Great Hearts Scottsdale Preparatory Academy high school senior Atish Bala received a perfect score of 36, even though he studied at the last minute. Bala said he did a few rounds of practice tests and got some high scores, but never a flawless score.
Having high ACT scores can help students access scholarship opportunities at top universities. The ACT is a standardized test for college admissions that measures high school attainment and college preparedness.
Bala said he was surprised when he learned about his score.
“I got a 36, which was not what I was expecting because when I’ve been taking them (practice exams). I had not gotten a 36,” Bala said. On his practice exams he scored between a 33 and 35 in certain areas.
Bala said the education he received at Great Hearts prepared him to take the ACT exam and he currently has a 4.0 grade point average.
What are Bala’s plans after Great Hearts?
Recently, Bala learned he was accepted into Princeton University with a full-ride scholarship, which was his top university pick. He had the opportunity to tour the campus and said it was everything he expected it to be.
“I committed fairly quickly once I got the financial aid secured because that was my number one pick and I got in,” Bala said.
At Great Hearts Scottsdale Preparatory, Bala studies Latin, is a choir member, performs in plays and is a mentor to other students. This year, Bala was one of three students at Great Hearts to receive a perfect ACT score.
Bala’s favorite class at the school was called Humane Letters, where students read classical and philosophical literature and spend hours discussing and dissecting what the readings mean.
Bala said he enjoys learning other languages and studying policy thanks to an internship he took at Arizona State University. He wants to study international relations at Princeton.
“I’m hoping to become a diplomat one day. So like negotiations between countries. I would like to become a diplomat on behalf of the U.S. to help,” Bala said.
Bala said he thinks people should be informed when it comes to politics and what is going on in the world.
“I don’t think everyone should be like ‘I want to be a politician’ (but) I think that it is important that everyone at least stay aware and of all of what is happening because I think that apathy towards politics often results in worse politics, which is kind of like a never-ending feedback loop,” Bala said.
Reporting by “Arizona Horizon” Education Solutions Reporter Roxanne De La Rosa. Her role is made possible through grant funding from the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund and Report for America.
