<p>Colin McSwiggen has never needed any prodding to study, learn and achieve.</p>
<p>The Cincinnati Country Day senior has excelled in every academic subject. When he was in the eighth grade, he began studying the Japanese language on his own “as just a hobby.”</p>
<p>Colin, a 16-year-old who lives in Blue Ash, also plays the French horn, has performed in school plays, sung in the May Festival Youth Chorus and has been involved in community service projects. </p>
<p>This week, he added a high honor to his long list of accomplishments: Presidential Scholar.</p>
<p>He’s one of only three Ohians chosen for the honor, one of 141 nationwide. The 27-member Commission on Presidential Scholars appointed by President Bush selects students for their academic achievements, artistic talents, essays, school evaluations, transcripts and community service.</p>
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<p>He plans to attend Princeton University and says he might major in either physics or math. Choosing his college major will be a difficult decision.</p>
<p>That's kind of entertaining... met him at Caltech's prefrosh weekend (where he and I both ultimately decided to go to Pton), and have kept in touch with him, where I heard about his Presidential Scholar award. The MSN conversation about it was entertaining. ;)</p>
<p>Marsland attended public school until fifth grade and then was home-schooled. As a freshman in high school, he began attending tiny St. Ambrose Academy, a conservative Catholic junior high and high school located in the religious education wing of St. Thomas Aquinas on Everglade Drive on Madison's west side.</p>
<p>He nailed Madison's only perfect SAT score last year and won the nation's first vocabulary bee in New York City earlier this year. He is a principal cellist with the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra as well as an accomplished pianist. He is an Eagle Scout, a church musician, Gold Cross Altar server and Latin tutor. He takes a graduate level physics course at the University of Wisconsin and is a member of a ski club and swim team and loves water-skiing.</p>
<p>But his most influential teacher, John Gillett, who is now the principal at St. Ambrose and who taught Marsland calculus beginning in 9th grade, said his other accomplishments pale beside his devotion to looking for the truth.
"Bobby is so self-sufficient as a student. When I began working with him I realized that even though he was young, he was so advanced that he should have a more rigorous, rather than less rigorous program," Gillett explained. </p>
<p>Marsland is interested in the theoretical limits of physics and mathematics and is fascinated by exploring and integrating faith and reason.</p>
<p>He is planning to attend Princeton next year.</p>