Lakeland Collegiate student named National Merit Scholarship semifinalist

Polk State College Lakeland Collegiate High School senior Madison Dolan has big dreams. If her most recent recognition is any indication, those dreams seem well in sight.

Dolan is a semifinalist for the National Merit Scholarship Program, putting her in the top 1% of high school seniors in the U.S.

“I was pretty excited,” Dolan explained. “I didn’t think I’d get this far in the process. I’m really proud of myself. It means a lot.”

Dolan hopes to become a genetic engineer one day. Her career goals stem from her family being affected by Huntington’s disease, which causes nerve cells in the brain to decay over time. Dolan’s paternal grandmother and two aunts have battled the disease. Genetic engineers research genomes and look for ways to positively affect society.

“(The disease) has affected a lot of people that I love,” Dolan added. “The fact that everyone can be read like code has always been fascinating to me. Getting a scholarship would be a great help. I want to go to Duke University or the University of Florida.”

Semifinalists are in the running for 7,000 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered in the spring. National Merit Scholars must have an outstanding academic record, be endorsed by a school official and perform well on the ACT and/or SAT. They are also required to write an essay, which Dolan plans to write on the topic of Huntington’s disease.

“We are so proud of Madison,” exclaimed Rick Jeffries, Principal at Lakeland Collegiate High School. “Being a National Merit semifinalist is an amazing accomplishment that few students achieve. We love having hard-working, talented students like Madison at Lakeland Collegiate and we celebrate this accomplishment with her and her family.  We look forward to watching Madison finish strong here at Lakeland Collegiate and continue on to great success in the future.”

Lakeland Collegiate is one of Polk State’s three collegiate high schools along with Lakeland Gateway to College Collegiate High School and Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School. In most cases, students graduate simultaneously with their high school diplomas and an Associate in Arts at no cost to them. Dolan is a member of Lakeland Collegiate’s National Honor Society and Psychology Club. Outside of school, she plays the violin and volunteers with SPCA Florida and the United Way of Central Florida.

From the start of school through 10th grade, Dolan attended All Saints Academy in Winter Haven. Now in her second year at Lakeland Collegiate, Dolan has enjoyed her experience.

“I enjoy that there are a lot of places to study,” she reflected. “The teachers are really nice. I love my calculus and chemistry classes. Professor Mike Long has been awesome.”

For her successes, Dolan credits her parents, Michael Dolan and Dr. Maria Jaramillo-Dolan, and the Lakeland Collegiate staff. Dolan is one of about 16,000 semifinalists chosen from more than 1.3 million students who entered the program. While Dolan was the only student from Polk State’s collegiate high schools to be named a semifinalist, Chain of Lakes’ Abigail Leyte-Vidal is a National Merit Commended Student.

“My parents have always been really supportive,” she noted. “(Registrar Secretary Gwen Simmons), (Computer Lab Manager Susan Curry) and (Assistant Principal Dawn Allen) have helped me so much. I probably wouldn’t be this far without them.”