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DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. -- Once the initial surprise of earning the accolade wore off, Natasha Marthur, a 17-year-old senior at Dobbs Ferry High School, said she was extremely happy to be named a semifinalist for the National Merit Scholarship.
Marthur was one of three semifinalists for the award at Dobbs Ferry High School and one of only 16,000 out of the 1.5 million students across the who are country eligible. To say she's involved at school would be an understatement as Marthur is a member of the National Honor Society, the
Spanish Honor Society and Model United Nations. Outside of the classroom she's also in her third year as the editor-in-chief of "Orpheus," the school's literary magazine.
"When I was a freshman I just started doing it and later on the editor-in-chief graduated so I started doing the layout which I really liked," she said. "I started doing a lot of different things and I sort of became the one who was in charge of it."
Not one to be bound by the classes she's enrolled in, Marthur has been working on her own research project, which she plans to enter into a number of competitions.
"The summer before sophomore year I started working in this lab studying genetic kidney disease," she said.
This isn't your ordinary science fair project by any means though.
"It's original research," Marthur said. "It's a very interesting experience because it's completely different from what we do at school."
Her love for science is evident in the work she puts in and the recognition she receives, having earned second place at the Westchester Rockland Science Symposium and receiving The Phillips
Award for Exceptional Research in Medicine at the Westchester Science and Engineering Fair.
Having moved to Dobbs Ferry from the Bronx in kindergarten, Marthur said the small school environment has helped her get to where she is today. With another honor on her resume, Marthur plans to continue with her various projects before pursuing her love of science in college.
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