It is quite extraordinary for a student to earn the top score of 36 on the ACT. Out of a class of 123 students, this year two Columbus St. Charles Preparatory School juniors, William Malerich and Malcolm D’Souza, earned this special distinction.
Malerich, the son of Will and Patricia Malerich of Powell, scored a 35 on the test when he took it as a freshman and sophomore, just missing out on a 36 in 10th grade by one question. He scored a 36 in every section when he took it this time around.
For D’Souza, son of Melroy and Wilma D’Souza of Hilliard, this was the first time he took the ACT. He had taken only a couple of online practice tests previously.
Nationally, only a quarter of one percent of students who take the test earned what is considered a top score. Colleges use ACT scores as evidence of student readiness for the academic rigors that lie ahead. The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science. Each test is scored on a scale of 1-36, and a student’s composite score is the average of the four test scores.
Malerich would like to study aerospace engineering or medicine in college. “I have just started to create a list of colleges that I would like to apply,” he said. “Although I am not sure of anything quite yet, MIT and the schools that offer special scholarships to National Merit Finalists do pique my interest.”
D’Souza wants to pursue medicine as a field of study, majoring in biomedical engineering and business, with a possible minor in Latin. “I have begun the process of researching and visiting colleges to compile and finalize my list,” he said. “Ms. (Kristen) Dickerson (a St. Charles college counselor) has been very helpful in making this process smooth and easy to understand.”
D’Souza said the most influential factor in his ACT success was “from the cumulative effort I have put into my academic work from the beginning. I am indebted to my parents, my teachers and all the other individuals who have influenced me along the way.”
Malerich felt that taking previous ACT tests that were released online served as his most effective preparation. “There is no substitute for practicing with actual ACT questions under timed conditions. I also attended one of Dr. Sampath’s PrepAccelerator ACT boot camps my freshman year, and I think that his overview of the math section and the review sheet that he provided were especially helpful.”
The two have been very active outside the classroom.
Malerich is a three-year varsity swimmer as well as a member of the school’s water polo and robotics teams. He played trombone in the jazz and concert bands every year and earned the National Latin Exam’s summa cum laude award for both Latin I and Latin II.
D’Souza has run cross country every year and is the team’s captain. He is a three-time varsity member and current captain of the quiz team, which has won two regional tournaments and placed fifth at the state tournament. He is a group team captain on the engineering team, qualifying for the TEAMS+S (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science) National Team Competition in June.
He has been elected secretary and vice president of Student Council, is a member of the St. Charles Student Advisory Board and is president of the Borromean Chapter of the National Honor Society. He has played guitar in the jazz and concert bands and been a member of a Bridge Building team all three years.
He is the co-founder and president of the St. Vincent de Paul Chapter at St. Charles, received the school’s Principal’s Service Award in 2022 and earned summa cum laude on the National Latin Examination for two years, with a perfect score his sophomore year.
“We are very proud of these two young men for their tremendous accomplishment,” said St. Charles principal James Lower. “It is a tribute to these students, their parents and our SC faculty to a continued commitment of learning.”