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Community Corner

Whiz Kid: Jud Smull, Team Player Extraordinaire

Excellence in academics, athletics and community service

It is uncommon to come across a youth who achieves the trifecta of academic, athletic and civic excellence but, Jud Smull makes it seems easy. 

A junior at , this young man maintains a 4.8 GPA, the highest in his class of 622, while playing soccer on three teams, participating in Liberty’s track team, working part-time at the Apollo Grille and completing over 100 hours of community service. 

“Every once and a while I look at him and say, ‘Oh my God’” said Deb Smull, “I don’t know how he does it all?”  Mom is very proud, with good reason.

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Academically, Smull not only gets A’s in his honors and advanced placement classes, but he challenges himself to go further by participating in science competitions. In April, he won two gold medals at the Science Olympiad, the first of which was won in a joint effort with fellow classmate Juliana Telles in the category of Chemistry Lab and the second with Dan Candelario.  

In April of this year, Smull was one of only 10 Lehigh Valley Youth to advance from the local Chemistry Olympiad, not to be confused with the Science Olympiad, to the National Level of competition for the American Chemical Society’s United National Chemistry Olympiad, a competition where students elect to take a really hard exam.  Let’s see how you do.

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In the titration of a monoprotic acid with a solution of sodium hydroxide of known concentration what quantities are equal at the equivalence point?

a)             The concentration of hydroxide and hydronium ions

b)             The number of moles of hydroxide ion added and the number of moles of hydronium ion initially present.

c)             The volume of sodium hydroxide solution added and the volume of acid solution initially present.

d)             the number of moles of hydroxide ion added and the number.

 

How many kids do you know that are asking for more tests let alone tests with questions like this one?

“The National Chemistry qualifying test was very difficult” said Deb Smull, “Jud believes he did adequately but may not advance. In one of the problems, he was given an objective in a lab with no procedure, to figure out which set of coins produced the highest voltage in a battery.” Really, unless you’re Macgyver, that is really tough.

Smull competed with nearly 1000 students in the four and a half our exam, but, unfortunately, did not advance to the final competition in Colorado. Smull never lets his failures get him down, though, and sees them as challenges.

His key to awesomeness, in his own words is “hard work and my desire to constantly challenge myself.”  Not only can one see this kind of drive and determination for excellence in the way Smull pushes himself academically, but also in other areas of his life.

As an athlete, Smull is a pole vaulter on Liberty Track Team, reaching a personal record height of 11 feet 6 inches.  He placed fourth in the League and qualified for District level competition.  He also plays on the Liberty Boy’s Soccer Team as well as for the Keystone Athletic Team, the United Soccer League, Super Y League with the Perugia Grifos club team.  He is currently playing travel soccer with the USL Super Y and reports a winning season.

Having played soccer myself, I know that Smull’s position as a midfielder and defense take skill in communication, endurance and distribution of the ball—all key ingredients to Smull’s success on and off the field as a team player. 

With over 100 hours of community service through his church, the Special Olympics and New Bethany Ministries, Smull knows a thing or two about distribution, sharing his talents and time to help others. He also knows the value of a dollar and, working at the as a bus boy and the Hanover Swim Club as a lifeguard saved up enough to buy a car. 

“He saved every dime he ever earned,” said Deb Smull, “he just bought a car … well, he bought a snowboard, too.”

All his values in check, this young man has a lot of great qualities that are going to help him succeed in every aspect of his life. Although he is a Junior, he aspires to major in civil engineering and is looking at Lehigh, Lafayette, Penn State and University of Delaware. He would really like to play soccer wherever he attends. I am sure everyone will want Jud Smull on their team, which is why he is this week’s Whiz Kid.

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