Several area students gained admission this year to the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities.

Established by the legislature in 1990, the Indiana Academy is the state’s two-year high school for high-ability juniors and seniors. These students join other gifted students from around Indiana who live and study in the school’s academically rich and challenging environment.

Indiana Academy students from the area include: Nathaniel Baker, son of Jeremy and Kelly Baker, Warsaw; Jessica Gillum, daughter of Timothy and Deborah Gillum, Syracuse; Seth Shoemaker, son of Jon and Jami Shoemaker, North Webster; and Abigail Sommers, daughter of Anthony and Amy Sommers, Warsaw.

Located on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, this highly specialized public school accepts applications from current Indiana high school sophomores. Admission is based on a number of factors including academic performance, essays and teacher recommendations.

Upon graduation in 2016, these students will be courted by some of the top colleges and universities in the country. Last year’s Indiana Academy graduates cumulatively received in excess of $13.4 million in scholarship offers. While studying at the Indiana Academy, students have the opportunity to take numerous courses for college credit, and many graduate with over a year of college already done.

Though the Indiana Academy has only been in existence for 25 years, its alumni have already excelled in a wide array of fields. The list of graduates’ careers includes movie directors, Silicone Valley entrepreneurs, authors, test pilots, political leaders, physicians, scientists, engineers and teachers.

For more information about the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities visit www.bsu.edu/academy, contact associate director for admissions Jo Tuite at (800) 316-3163 ext. 1 or e-mail [email protected].