McKenna Goodson has always been interested in math and science. As a tenth grader at the private Stoneleigh-Burnham School in Greenfield, she worked with the head of the math department to create her own independent study to research discrete math and combinatorics, advanced mathematical concepts that the school does not cover in its curriculum. She also built a Rube Goldberg machine, a contraption intentionally designed to perform a simple task in an extravagant way, and she is president of the Math Club.
Now a rising senior who hails from Amherst, Goodson found out last week that she received the Rensselaer Medal and scholarship. The medal is presented to a student who has demonstrated a passion for math and science.
The scholarship will pay for $30,000 of her tuition per year, should she attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), in Troy, New York. RPI’s tuition is $57,100 per year, so the scholarship would more than halve that cost.
Originally, Goodson was considering going to a liberal arts college to learn about a wide variety of subjects. However, the Rensselaer Medal has made RPI a priority.
“With this scholarship, I’ll definitely be applying,” Goodson said.
She hopes to study quantum physics, philosophy and math in college. Lauren Cunniffe, the academic dean and director of college counseling at Stoneleigh-Burnham, nominated Goodson for the scholarship.
“Her interest in pursuing math and science in college is partly why we nominated her for the award,” Cunniffe said.
Goodson has big plans for after college, too. She wants to solve the Navier–Stokes equation, a mathematical problem so challenging that the Clay Mathematics Institute offers a $1 million dollar prize for whoever solves it.
Her interests also branch outside of math and science. She is her class president, a member of the Equestrian Club and the co-president of the Debate & Public Speaking Team.
“She is extremely involved in the school and community,” Cunniffe said.
Stoneleigh-Burnham is one of 5,000 high schools across the world that participate in RPI’s medal program. Each school can nominate one student per year, and the medalists are then selected from that pool. Generally, more than 150 medalists enroll in RPI’s freshman class every year.
Goodson’s Rensselaer award is not the first time her academic prowess has been publicly recognized. She won two public speaking awards: first and second place in two separate categories at the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championship.
She is busy outside of school, too. She started her own small business selling cookies for horses, called “Your Horse Treats,” and half of the proceeds go to equestrian charities.
“I wanted to give back to the equestrian community and also help my parents pay for my riding lessons,” she said.