On Oct. 14, senior Cameron Dierks was spending his school day hard at work taking the PSAT in the library with all of his fellow juniors. Little did he know, that he would later be named a Commended Student for the Annual National Merit Scholarship Program all thanks to that test.

Each year, thousands of students enter the competition by meeting published program entry and participation requirements, and by taking the PSAT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test).

Although Dierks intentionally signed up for the PSAT, he had no idea he was also signing himself up to become an entrant in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

“I had no idea, I didn’t even study,” Dierks said. “I just took the test, and I was surprised when they named me.”

Some of the entry requirements include taking the PSAT by a certain grade level, being enrolled in high school on the right track to graduate on time and being a U.S. citizen. Based on these requirements and the test scores on the PSAT, schools are notified in September if they have qualified students for semifinalists or commended students.

“Cameron is an excellent student, very diligent in his studies and I’m very proud of his accomplishments,” Dierk’s former math teacher and new vice principal, Mr. Kiesel said.

“Obviously it feels pretty good to be commended for that, and I do plan to put it on all of my college applications,” Dierks said.

Throughout his high school career, Dierks has achieved a 4.27 GPA and scored a 32 on his ACT. He also has been on the Liberty band for all four years and also holds a position on the golf team. Dierks is the vice president of the chess club and is a member of FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), in which he earned second place in accounting at a state competition last year.

“All of our students at Liberty High School are capable of amazing things. None of the great achievements are students reach surprise me. The accomplishments of our students speak volumes for the effort and dedication that our teachers pour into our students and serve our students,” Kiesel said.