By Rachel Kalina
As a student, she has managed to make time for friends, family and studying while participating in extracurriculars like the National Honor Society, taking Advanced Placement and honors courses at the Sacred Heart Academy, working at the Malverne Bakery and refereeing children¹s soccer games.
The National Merit Scholarship Program has rewarded her for that difficult balancing act. As a merit scholarship winner, Bailey will get $4,000 from her future college, the University of Maryland at College Park, over the next four years.
³That¹s part of learning to be a well-rounded person,² Bailey said of her time management. ³You have to learn to be with friends and family, participate in extracurriculars, and you have to put aside time for studying.²
Bailey¹s juggling act has left her excited about further challenges. She plans to study international affairs while keeping up her extracurricular interests at the University of Maryland. ³I decided I wanted to study [international affairs] after I was selected by my school to attend the Joseph Maher Leadership Forum and Colin Powell was the speaker,² she said, ³We had a question-and-answer session with him, and after that I was inspired.²
The conference, held at Molloy College, welcomed students from all over Long Island, but only 15 from Sacred Heart were chosen to go. Bailey said that Powell spoke about the necessity of diplomacy in today¹s world.
³Because she¹s so interested in politics and government, she reads the paper every morning,² said her mother, Ann Bailey. ³I couldn¹t be more proud of her if I tried.²
Of course, Ann was also thrilled to find out that her daughter had become a National Merit Scholar. A total of 50,000 students nationwide are picked for the first round of National Merit qualifying based on their PSAT scores. Bailey was one of 8,200 winners. Her SAT scores were also a factor in the decision-making process. The National Merit Scholarship Program has been giving monetary awards to students with outstanding PSAT and SAT scores and academics since the 1950s.
³It was just incredibly exciting,² said Mary Kate. ³It was such an honor.²
Over the course of about two years, qualified students submit essays, transcripts, information about extracurriculars, SAT scores and the names of two colleges they hope to attend to the National Merit Scholar Committee. The selected colleges must also agree to sponsor the students. The University of Maryland not only sponsored Bailey, but also accepted her into its honors program and offered her additional scholarship money.
³Lots of colleges offered me awards and mentioned that I was a semifinalist in my acceptance letters,² Bailey said. She was also offered a full ride to Fordham, but passed it up in favor of Maryland.
³It was a lot to give up,² said her mother, ³but she loved the aspect of being right outside of D.C.² Maryland¹s proximity to Washington convinced Bailey that she could easily commute to an internship from college.
Ann Bailey said that both Mary Kate and her older daughter, Megan, 20, were always avid readers in and out of school. Open books often decorate their house, and she believes that Bailey¹s reading habits had a large role in her academic development. ³When it comes time to study vocabulary for the PSAT and SAT, if you¹ve been reading all along, it¹s not as daunting a task,² she said.
³I spent a lot of time studying,² said Mary Kate of how she succeeded in high school. ³I worked really hard. When I was about to take the SAT, I didn¹t take a course, I took tests over and over again.²
In between studying, Bailey kept dancing. This past year, she was the star of Sacred Heart¹s annual production of ³The Nutcracker,² in which she played Clara. Bailey was also the vice president of her school¹s dance theater, and has choreographed a number of musicals.
³She¹s just been such a joy,² Ann Bailey said. ³Mary Kate is a really well-balanced student. She¹s involved in a lot of things and keeps herself very busy. Luckily, she¹s been able to keep up her grades as well.²
Bailey has already checked out the dance program at the University of Maryland, and plans to cook up another demanding schedule once she gets there. ³I want to study abroad in Europe to get some real hands-on experience in international affairs and diplomacy,² she said, adding that Spain would be her first choice.
She wants to stay in Washington for a while, though, and get to know the school as well as she can. ³I¹m very excited about the academic opportunities there. That¹s why I chose the school, because they have a great reputation,² she said. ³I was just thrilled that I liked the school and that they also selected to sponsor me for a National Merit Scholarship.²
Comments about this story? RKalina@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 282.
