Chemistry student Steven Sun has received two scholarships for his score on a chemistry exam. Steven was the first place winner for the Chicago-area chapter of the American Chemical Society. Steven had the highest score overall and earned a second award for being the highest scoring Chicago high school student.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization composed of chemistry professionals from the United States. The award recognizes the accomplishments of first-year chemistry students. 

To compete, participants took an hour-long online exam that covered a comprehensive knowledge of first-year chemistry. 

Steven, now a junior, took the exam in May when he was in Chemistry M with Jim Catlett. 

Steven said he did not expect to win because of the large number of competitors, some being his own classmates. 

“I knew that there were quite a few students who were taking the exam, so when I learned that I got first place, it was a real surprise,” Steven said.

His passion for chemistry began in middle school when he took an introduction to chemistry course. This year, he decided to take AT Chemistry. 

“I found the middle school course to be very interesting, so I decided to put some effort outside of school and studied a little bit,” he said. “Most of my knowledge came from Mr. Catlett’s Chem M class, though.”

An award ceremony was held Nov. 12 to honor the students who received scholarships. 

“Winning the award means a lot to me because it is like a culmination of all my efforts because I invested a lot of time into chemistry,” Steven said. “I feel like my efforts have finally come to fruition.”