From the Hutchison campus to laboratories and institutes across the country, Eleanor has furthered her knowledge and gained firsthand experience in math and science through various challenging academic and real-world experiences.
Through activities such as Knowledge Bowl, cross country, and tennis, Eleanor has learned about the power of teamwork. She also started a blood drive to fight critical shortages that blood banks have faced in recent years.
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Eleanor Merchant ’23 Will Follow Her Love of Math and Science at Princeton University
The National Merit Finalist and 15-year student has distinguished herself by pursuing challenging academic opportunities in math and science and following her various interests along the way. She credits Hutchison for fostering her intellectual curiosity and love of learning.
Most high school students wouldn’t take both AP Calculus and AP Statistics during their junior year, but Eleanor Merchant ’23 loves math and has the Mathematics Award for her grade to prove it. She has a pretty equal interest in science, having taken AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP Physics during her time at Hutchison. When she heads to Princeton University, she said she will be deciding between studying molecular biology or mathematics and is considering a career in the medical field.
“Hutchison cultivated my love for math. It also has been great in fostering a love of science, not just for me but for a lot of people in my grade,” Eleanor said. “The enthusiasm that the teachers have for their respective subjects inspired and motivated me to work hard in their classes and appreciate what they’re teaching,” she said.
From experiments in the science lab with Ms. Wesson to studying physics with Dr. Braby, the National Merit Finalist and 15-year student said Hutchison helped her grow passionate about STEM from the start. Her older sisters, Charlotte ’19 and Sophie ’17, also served as positive influences because they love math too. For example, when Eleanor was learning about multiplication in lower school, one of her sisters started explaining the distributive property with excitement. Eleanor said Hutchison truly sparked a love of learning that she will carry with her to college.
“It’s important to get experiences outside of the classroom and out in the field. It’s one thing to learn about ocean acidification in class. It’s another to go intern somewhere, see the effects of it, and understand how what you’re learning in class applies,” she said.
At Hutchison, Eleanor enjoyed the flexibility and openness to go in her own direction based on her interests. During her junior year, for instance, she wanted to hold a blood drive because of the critically low blood supply that has persisted since the COVID-19 pandemic. She felt empowered to organize and manage the drive and coordinated with school administrators and the American Red Cross of Tennessee to bring two blood drives to the school. It's estimated that the combined blood donations from the Hutchison community during two blood drives, one in her junior and one in her senior year, could have saved about 190 lives.
“It was daunting because trying to implement something that hasn’t been done before can pose a big challenge,” Eleanor said. Hutchison Serves Director Helen Guyton and other school administrators were incredibly encouraging to her, she said.
Eleanor explored her interests outside of STEM as well. She competed on the course and the court as a member of the cross country and tennis teams and in TV tournaments as a member of the Knowledge Bowl team. She said these activities taught her about being in a team environment.
“Half the battle is cheering on your teammates because, at the end of the day, your score is determined by everybody running or everyone’s matches,” she said. “Being a part of the bigger picture has taught me about encouragement. Having a team of people supporting you and, in turn, your support of them, makes a huge difference.”
Eleanor appreciates her classmates’ kindness as a whole and said her favorite thing about the Class of 2023 is the compassion they have exhibited over the years, from early childhood all the way through the end of senior year. “A lot of us have grown up together. Even if some of my classmates didn’t come to Hutchison until their later years, knowing them and being able to grow alongside them has been special,” she said.
She will miss Hutchison and plans to stay in touch with her classmates, but she is excited about what is next for her at Princeton University in the fall.
“It’s bittersweet because I’m leaving many fun memories behind after 15 years, but I’m ready for college and life after high school, she said. “I’m looking forward to meeting people from all over the world and from many different walks of life and backgrounds and learning a lot,” she said.
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As part of a State of Tennessee initiative, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development recognized how Hutchison has made a difference in local and state communities for over 100 years.
Tyler Jones ’25 hasn’t had the easiest journey. After a long road to recovery from a knee injury, she worked even harder and signed to play Division I basketball for the University of New Mexico.
Hutchison Now highlights graduates early in their careers who embody how a Hutchison education can lead anywhere you can imagine. We spoke with Meagan Thornton ’12, the lead pharmacist at CaryRx, a digital pharmacy based in Washington, D.C., that provides access to pharmaceutical services online.
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If you have ovaries, you can learn a lot from spending time with Vanessa Ross, CNM, MSCP, Class of 1991. Let’s say hormones are wreaking havoc with your life and your doctor dismisses the symptoms with “it’s all in your head.” According to Ross, you should respond with: “Yes. You’re right. My brain is literally changing, and my body is reacting. My symptoms are real.”
The youngest American to orbit the Earth and a St. Jude physician assistant and cancer survivor spoke with our fourth and fifth graders after they read her memoir.
For her myExperience capstone project, part of the Institute for Responsible Citizenship, Millie Malone ’25 held a voter registration drive where a representative from the League of Women Voters assisted our girls in registering.
Parents heard from Eraina Schauss, Ph.D., one of the nation’s leading experts in the field of pediatric mental health, about the evidence that supports Hutchison’s new cell phone policy.
Hutchison Now highlights graduates early in their careers who embody how a Hutchison education can lead anywhere you can imagine. We spoke with Elizabeth Gonda ’16, a care manager at Healthfirst based out of New York who serves over 130 people and helps them with healthcare.