Bridget Foley named a Commended Student in the National Merit Scholarship Program!

Congratulations to Bridget Foley, a senior at Richfield High School, on being named a Commended Student in the National Merit Scholarship Program! 

“I am excited and honored to have been named a Commended Student in the National Merit Scholarship program,” stated Bridget when we sat down with her to talk about what she likes at Richfield High School and her plans for the future. “After graduation, I plan to attend college and major in Political Science with an emphasis on elections and analytics. I'm also interested in minoring in Spanish and possibly Math.”

Bridget’s dream job is to be a political analyst, specifically focusing on elections. “I am fascinated by elections and the complex factors that drive voter turnout and voting patterns,” she explained. “Political analysts could work for a wide variety of places, but I am most interested in working for the media or for a national political party.”

This year, her favorite class is AP Spanish Literature. “I really enjoy this class because it has been a challenge for me. The challenge makes it all the more satisfying when I am able to understand what has been happening and what we're learning. It gives me an opportunity for growth and pride.” She enrolled in the class because she wanted to continue studying Spanish. She attended Richfield Dual Langauge School’s dual language immersion (DLI) program and has continued on the DLI track ever since.

Her love of a good academic challenge has not gone unnoticed. “Bridget rarely makes easy choices for her learning; when we have choices on what to read or write about, she always pushes herself to higher levels and more difficult texts,” said Jennifer Dooper-Salazar, her AP Spanish Literature teacher. “I think that's why her Spanish is as strong as it is; she knows that getting better at something means hard work and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Her level of analysis is also unprecedented for this time of year—she's already making complex connections between a story's historical context and the author's use of literary devices, something we work toward gradually throughout the year. I am excited to see what she does with these skills in the future!”

In her free time, Bridget enjoys reading and running. “My favorite type of books to read are fantasy books. I also really love to run. I have been on the cross country team since sixth grade and it makes me really happy to work hard and see improvement.” In addition to cross country, she also participates in nordic skiing and track and field. 

Bridget doesn’t stop at academics and athletics. She is also the president of the Richfield High School Green Team, is involved in the National Honor Society and has been a Girl Scout since first grade. 

“Wherever her future takes her, I know that her dedication and commitment—not to mention her love of a good challenge—will serve her well,” her counselor Sara Linde said. “She is not afraid of hard work and loves learning new things.” 

About the National Merit Scholarship Program

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise, placing among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2022 competition by taking the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) in 2020.

"Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success," commented a spokesperson for National Merit Scholarship Competition. "These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success."