Logan Radlein ‘self-motivated and driven’ his mom says
By Heather Ruenz
SLN staff
Elkhorn Area High School senior Logan Radlein is humble about his many accomplishments in high school thus far, including the most recent feather in his cap – being named a finalist for a National Merit Scholarship.
“I don’t really tell too many people about it but the teachers that know are definitely excited and supportive about it,” Radlein said.
To become a finalist, he had to demonstrate, through distinguished performance, high potential for future academic accomplishment, according to EAHS school counselor Cathy Picknell.
He was named a semifinalist in September and recently learned he is one of roughly 15,000 students to advance to finalist standing.
“The first step was to decide to take the PSAT and I thought that would be a good way to see what the SAT would be like. If you score high enough, National Merit contacts you,” Radlein said.
He will find out in April if he’s been selected for a scholarship. At this point he’s leaning toward a medical field but also keeping his options open in science, including currently taking organic chemistry, a pre-requisite if he pursues a medical path at college.
In addition to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Radlein said he listed the following as possible colleges: Dartmouth, Harvard, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Yale and Yale National University of Singapore.
For the essay he submitted with his National Merit application, he chose the option of writing about someone that has had an impact on his life.
“I chose Mrs. Stephanie Steinke. I learned so much from her through HOSA. She’s been amazing. I’ve met great people in HOSA,” Radlein said.
Multi sport athlete
Radlein has been a member of the Elks cross country, swim and track teams all four years of high school.
Cross country, he said, is a challenging sport.
“I like the running itself. It’s a significant challenge to run three miles fast and keep a good pace, plus you have nice scenery. It’s kind of up to you to keep yourself going because often, halfway through a race, you’re running by yourself,” he added.
As a four-year member of the varsity swim team at EAHS, Radlein was named Rookie of the Year his freshmen year and Most Valuable his sophomore and junior years. But this past season, he earned numerous accolades.
“I made the Southern Lakes Conference first team, got an award for perfect attendance (never missing a practice or a meet) all four years, and received the captain award,” he said.
Radlein was also named to the all-state team, for maintaining a 3.5 grade point average while excelling in swimming, and the all-American team, which requires a 3.8 GPA.
He competed at the WIAA state swim meet and as an individual finished 10th in the 100 butterfly event, 12th in the individual medley. He was also part of relay teams from EAHS that earned a sixth place finish in the 400 free relay and 14th in the 200 medley relay.
In track, he’s competed in the 800-meter and 1,600-meter events as well as the 4×800 relay. On occasion, he’s also been part of the 3,200-relay team.
Radlein said he’s enjoyed participating in sports in high school but doesn’t plan to pursue them at college.
“As proficient as I was in swimming and as much as I love cross country, I don’t see that being something I’ll do as I’m going to focus on academics,” he said.
Self-motivated, driven
Radlein, who serves as a peer tutor, has some sound advice for younger students.
“Find what you like and let that lead you. If you try to pigeonhole yourself into something, it’s going to be hard and won’t be enjoyable,” he said.
One thing he recommends is getting involved in extracurricular offerings.
“Definitely explore clubs in school. I didn’t do that my first two years of high school and really missed out,” Radlein said.
He said it might also be wise to reduce the number of clubs and sports in junior and senior year to keep a manageable schedule.
“Overall, let your passions drive you. Be as attentive to the process as you are to the results. It’s easy to focus on grades or outcomes but think about how and why you’ll get there and what it will mean for you,” Radlein said.
Though his schedule has been full all four years of high school, he said being a peer tutor is rewarding.
“Even though it added to my workload, I felt committed to the kids I was working with and I saw that I was making a difference,” he said.
His mom, Cathy Radlein, said Logan has always been driven.
“He’s always been very self-motivated and driven and that’s gotten him far. I never had to tell him to do his homework and not only is he taking AP classes now, he started as a freshman and has done that all four years,” she said.
She agrees with Logan’s self-advice about not taking on too much.
“He doesn’t want to do anything other than giving 100 percent. That’s great but figuring out when to back off can be a challenge,” she said.
“He can do whatever he sets his mind to.”
