High School High Achievers Rock our Game of 20 Questions

High-achieving students are often referred to as smart, gifted or talented. In other parts of the world, the highest achievers are more likely referred to as hard-working. Here are four local high school seniors who may be gifted with natural academic or athletic abilities, but read their answers to our game of 20 questions and discover they are also hard-working, charitable, funny and all-around great kids.   Gurshaan Madan Minnetonka High School Madan has played soccer since he was 5 years old. His love of the game helped him earn the team spirit award his sophomore year and an award for most inspirational last year. Off the field, Madan excels in math. He has participated on the math team since ninth grade and reveled in the success of his team, which made it to the Minnesota state math league tournament in 11th grade.He is also a member of the Super Mileage Club, an All-Star Honor Roll student and became an AP Scholar with distinction after completing at least five AP courses. Madan rounds out athletics and academics by playing the cello, a pursuit he began in the fourth grade.  Favorite subject? Physics Mentor and/or idol? Christian von Koenigsegg, because I love cars and want to work with them in the future. If I had three wishes, I would ask for … More time to sleep, shorter winters and an increase in our nation’s utility of renewable fuel sources. To whom do you credit your success? Family and teachers. If you had a completely free day, what would you do? Eat, sleep and play soccer. Favorite place to hang out with friends? Basketball court or soccer field. Burgers, tacos or pizza? Burgers. Books or movies? Name a favorite title and why it's your favorite: Movies; The Hunt for Red October because you can’t go wrong with Sean Connery. What did you want to be when you were little? A firefighter, especially the one who got to drive the truck. What are you a natural at doing? Cooking, which I find very useful as a teenage soccer player. A challenge you've overcome in the past year? Managing four AP and two IB classes along with extra-curriculars. Do you prefer public speaking or essay writing? Public speaking, even if I get nervous, because it’s like a mini adrenaline rush. Who would you like to meet someday? Christian von Koenigsegg. Farthest place you've traveled to? India. Someplace you'd like to travel to? Italy. If you had to teach a subject, what would you choose to teach? Math. What skill do you wish you had? The ability to take free kicks like Cristiano Ronaldo. Something you can’t live without? Family and friends. Something you could live without? Mosquitos. If you could invent something, what would it be? A building material lighter and stronger than carbotanium, which I would use to build cars.   Bryan Tierney Mound Westonka High School Tierney is a two-time all-conference performer in football. He has lettered in the sport every year since eighth grade and was named varsity captain for the upcoming season. Tierney has also won numerous accolades as a class AAA varsity wrestler, including lettering each year since eighth grade; he is also a two-time section champ and a two-time state-tournament qualifier. Tierney is equally impressive in the classroom as an honor roll student, National Honor Society member and nominee for the Mound Westonka High School Excel Award. He’s a member of the student senate and a state qualifier in the high school DECA program. Favorite teacher? Mrs. Paul in pre-calculus. Favorite subject? History. Proudest moment? Being named all-conference for football as a sophomore. Mentor and/or idol? My older brother Pat, because I’ve looked up to him my whole life and I've always been driven to be like him, only better. To whom do you credit your success? My brother and my coaches. If you had a completely free day, what would you do? Play football with friends and teammates, then relax with my friends at the lake. Favorite place to hang out with friends? The lake, Jball (a basketball court in the neighborhood) and at the beach where we play volleyball. Burgers, tacos or pizza? Burgers. Books or movies? Name a favorite title and why it’s your favorite: My favorite movie is Friday Night Lights because it made me love football from when I was a kid. What did you want to be when you were little? A professional football player. What are you a natural at doing? I'm a natural athlete but also enjoy carpentry and making wood projects. Do you prefer public speaking or essay writing? Public speaking, because I’m comfortable with speaking to adults and large groups of people. Who would you like to meet someday? Adrian Peterson or LeBron James, because they are such talented athletes and dominate in their respective sports. Farthest place you’ve traveled to? I was born in Japan. Someplace you’d like to travel to? Hawaii or somewhere in the Pacific Ocean like the Dutch East Indies. If you had to teach a subject, what would you choose to teach? Gym. What skill do you wish you had? Photographic memory. Something you can’t live without? Teammates and friends. Something you could live without? Winter. If you could invent something, what would it be? A flying car.   Erin Choi Benilde-St. Margaret’s Choi has her hands full as an orientation leader with Link Crew, doing volunteer work with the Red Knights Volunteer Corps and math tutoring. She is a member of Speech Club and Environmental Club, and won first place in Debate Club competitions, which sent her to the state tournament for debate and earned her a spot as a quarter-finalist. She loves debate and its emphasis on logical thinking. Choi is also a member of the National Honor Society, has taken several AP classes and is a national qualifier with American Mathematics Competitions. Favorite teachers? Mr. Porisch, Mr. Lex and Mr. Bowler. Favorite subject? Biology and chemistry. Mentor and/or idol? Ban Ki-moon, secretary-general of the United Nations. If I had three wishes, I would ask for … World traveling, tickets to Oasis and Busker Busker concerts, and a plane ticket that can take me anywhere. If you had a completely free day, what would you do? Travel with my sister to see wonderful sites and eat delicious food. Favorite place to hang out with friends? Movie theater. Burgers, tacos or pizza? Burgers with fries on the side. Books or movies? Name a favorite title: Book; Dead Poets Society by N.H. Kleinbaum. What did you want to be when you were little? A lawyer. What are you a natural at doing? Remembering numbers. A challenge you’ve overcome in the past year: Language barrier. Do you prefer public speaking or essay writing? Public speaking. Who would you like to meet someday? Ban Ki-moon. Farthest place you’ve traveled to? South Korea. Someplace you’d like to travel to? Africa. If you had to teach a subject, what would you choose to teach? Biology. What skill do you wish you had? Mind reading. Something you can't live without? My family. Something you could live without? Television. If you could invent something, what would it be? Bionic eyeglasses for people with genetic disease.   Grace Knudsen Orono High School Knudsen is a member of National Honor Society. She has lettered in girls’ varsity tennis and has also lettered in speech. Knudsen has mentored the middle school speech team and served as assistant captain of conference champion Orono High School speech team, which made it to the state tournament. She is a member of German Club, DECA and the National Forensic League. Knudsen’s passion is music. She plays flute and piccolo for band, school musicals and is president of Modern Music Masters, a music honor society. Knudsen also volunteers extensively at school and with her church, including being a security volunteer at the Basilica Block Party. Favorite teacher? German teacher Frau Ospina. Favorite subject? Chemistry. Proudest moment? Playing the piccolo solo from “Stars and Stripes Forever” in front of my entire high school and community veterans, which was nerve-wracking and rewarding. Mentor and/or idol? Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and author of Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. If I had three wishes, I would ask for … Better school food, the ability to teleport anywhere (Star Trek-style) and to be fluent in every language. To whom do you credit your success? Parents, teachers and my own work ethic. If you had a completely free day, what would you do? Take a kayaking excursion and eat delicious food. Favorite place to hang out with friends? Downtown Wayzata. Burgers, tacos or pizza? If by tacos you mean fish tacos, I'll have those. Books or movies? Name a favorite title and why it's your favorite: I can't pick just one! Here are my top three: 1. Harry Potter (books before movies) 2. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell 3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. What did you want to be when you were little? A marine biologist. What are you a natural at doing? Sleeping and balancing chemical equations. A challenge you’ve overcome in the past year? AP calculus—by far the hardest math class I've ever taken, yet I still love the curriculum. Do you prefer public speaking or essay writing? Public speaking, thanks to the OHS speech team. Who would you like to meet someday? John and Hank Green. Farthest place you've traveled to? The northernmost town in the world: Hammerfest, Norway. Someplace you'd like to travel to? India. If you had to teach a subject, what would you choose to teach? Chemistry. What skill do you wish you had? I wish I were an excellent seamstress and crafter. Something you can’t live without? Coffee and headphones. Something you could live without? MTV. If you could invent something, what would it be? Puppy-sized elephants.