Marquette Catholic High School

5/2/2009
Marquette senior named Indiana Academic All-Star
Reprinted with permission from The News Dispatch

Deborah Sederberg
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - Stephani Zakutansky soon will take her place among the Wall of All Stars in the Marquette Catholic High School Scholl Center.

That's where school officials keep plaques honoring Marquette's past state academic All-Stars.

Stephani is among 40 seniors in Indiana honored this year as Indiana Academic All-Stars, which is sponsored by the Indianapolis Star, the Indiana Association of School Principals and the Indiana Department of Education. It is given based on a mathematical formula combining the grade-point average for seven semesters and the SAT/ACT composite score, extracurricular activities and community service. Every high school is permitted to nominate one individual.

Zakutansky is valedictorian of her class, a National Merit finalist and a National Honor Society member.

She presents herself as a kind, thoughtful young woman who laughs easily and often. She has been accepted by Duke and Northwestern universities. The University of Chicago doesn't make its announcement until later this month, but she hopes to be accepted there, too. She is still deciding which university to attend.

Stephani thinks she might like to study medicine. She likes the research arm of medicine in particular.

She has finished two research projects on plankton at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. For one project, she went to the Bahamas on a Shedd research vessel and, for another, she sailed on a Shedd sailing vessel to northern Lake Michigan.

"I kind of think those research projects made me stand out a little (in the All Star competition)," Stephani said.

Stephani's intellectual curiosity is what drives her toward research. Although medicine now holds her interest, she's also interested in film making, journalism and public policy.

She also serves on the junior fashion board for Nordstrom's Department Store, which meets monthly.

"To tell you the truth," Stephani said, "I believe I could become interested in just about anything."

She is grateful to Marquette teachers who have been flexible enough to allow her to study independently. For example, in an independent study project she learned four years of French in two years.

"Teachers always encourage me to challenge myself," she said.

Mary Kay Mark, academic adviser at Marquette, whose job includes submitting transcripts to colleges to which students apply, praises Stephani's organizational skills.

"She always has everything ready right on time," Mark said.

Dick Schaefer, who teaches honors social studies, has been especially important to Stephani's intellectual growth and, as a part of the All Stars process, she named him as her most influential teacher.

"He's generous, he sets the bar high for all of us. He leads by example," Stephani said. "He's everything a leader should be."

Schaefer as well as her parents accompanied Stephani to the All-Star luncheon in Indianapolis.

"That was a humbling experience," she said. She knew she was in the company of the state's best and brightest high school seniors. "It was very humbling.

Stephani also is a member of the Marquette tennis and soccer teams. She participates in Academic Super Bowl, the Science Olympiad and Ski Club.

She lives with her parents, Kristin and David Zakutansky, in Ogden Dunes. Her brother, David, 20, is a student at Marquette University, and her sister, Katie, 15, is a freshman at Marquette.