Oakdale Patch Whiz Kid: Margo Cangemi

Oakdale Patch Whiz Kid of the Week: Margo Cangemi

School:

Accomplishment: Cangemi was named a National Merit Commended Scholar for her score on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Key to Awesomeness: National Merit Commended Student Margo Cangemi said believing in herself has motivated her to work hard in school.

“I know I can do well,” she said, “so I don’t want to let myself down.”

Grades are important to Cangemi, she said, but pursuit of academic success hasn’t stopped her from spending time horseback riding, working part-time as a barista and volunteering.

Cangemi has taught swimming lessons at the Courage Center, a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities, volunteered at a battered women’s shelter in Minneapolis, helped out with the Twin Cities Marathon and volunteered at district elementary and middle schools for their courage and respect retreats. She also works at a Woodbury coffee shop, because she wanted to have the experience of holding down a job before going to college.

“It can get hard balancing it with school, but I make it work,” she said.

Next year, she hopes to attend college in California and major in pre-med or psychology, she said, and she's considering becoming a pediatrician.