Warwick Valley High School senior Nathan Link has stayed busy throughout the last four years, balancing academics with a wide range of interests and activities that include track, football, chorus, piano, and student senate. Amidst it all, he has excelled. He is a member of the National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society and even earned nationwide recognition as a Commended Student by the National Merit Scholarship. Link is one of five Warwick Valley students to earn that prestigious honor.
Each year, more than 1.5 million students take the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (aka the PSAT). Of those test takers, 34,000 qualify as Commended Students, which places Link and his other four classmates among the top 3-4% of test takers nationwide.
“I guess I just want to stay on track and be as successful as I can in the future,” he said, “and I feel like that starts with school.”
Math has always been one of Link’s passions. His love of numbers and problem-solving pushed him to join Mu Alpha Theta and take on the role of treasurer of the WVHS chapter. It’s also one of the reasons he’s planning to study physics in college next fall.
“I was looking into nuclear physics and doing research in that, or maybe astrophysics,” he said. “I feel like a lot of kids dream of being an astronaut, and that got me interested in working for NASA. But I know I’ll discover what [specialty] interests me more during college.”
Link brings the same dedication he exhibits in academics to athletics. He has been part of the track team all four years of his high school career and, just this year, decided to challenge himself with something completely new. He tried out for – and made – the varsity football team and played as nose tackle.
“That was fun,” he said. “I wanted to try it because my dad played football in high school. Then, I ended up starting for most of the season, which I wasn’t expecting at all. I was super grateful for that, and it was overall a super fun experience.”
Link also gets his interest in music from his family. His two older sisters are pursuing degrees in music and dance, and their influence has inspired him to keep up with his own musical efforts. He has played piano for the past 10 years, and has sung in one Warwick Valley chorus or another since elementary school. Lately, Nathan has been performing as a member of Meistersingers, the high school’s audition-based choir.
“It’s nice to have something that lets me express myself,” he said. “It’s something I can always go back to.”
This year, Link is blending music and service through his upcoming National Honor Society Project, where he and a friend will be giving piano lessons to middle school students. Looking ahead to graduation, he is trying to savor every memorable moment that comes with senior year.
“The whole senior experience – trying to spend time with my friends before we all go off to college; I’m excited for my senior track season,” he said. “I think that’s going to be fun.”
Link is still applying to college but has yet to commit to one. He’s hoping to hear good news from his dream school, UCLA, soon. Reflecting on his high school experience, he said that he is most proud of the balance he was able to maintain.
“I’ve kept a good balance between school and having fun outside of school,” he said. “I focused on getting good grades and setting myself up for the future, but I also made time for sports and spending time with my family and friends.”