You often hear the term “underrated” when you walk the halls of Elder High School. Dave Mayer, a senior here at Elder, is the epitome of underrated. Upon first glance, you might think that Dave is a skateboarding rebel who doesn’t seem to care about much. Although these judgments are strictly stereotypical, people need to get a deep look at just how talented this kid is; whether it be academically, athletically or anything in between. Little do most people know, he is one of the smartest kids at Elder and has a lot going for him. One of the numerous things that Dave has achieved academically is his staggering ACT score: he received a 35, one short of being perfect. People like Dave define the proverbial saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Dave’s “cover” is far from his personality. Although he could most likely attend any college next year, he is choosing to go to Ohio State, UC, or The University of Kentucky, and is planning on studying dentistry. Chances are Dave will get a full ride or at least a major scholarship to whatever institution he chooses. When asked why he didn’t take an Ivy League school into consideration, he responded, “I just don’t think that I would fit in. Those kids are nothing like me.” He is a Lourdes Tiger by definition. He played baseball and football, until he decided that sports weren’t for him. Senior Danny Murphy is quick to talk about one of his legendary skills: talking like the Kool-Aid man. This was a skill that made Dave famous in grade school. Although he was a Tiger, he took a brief hiatus from Our Lady of Lourdes. From fourth to sixth grade, he was home schooled by his mother. After this, he returned to Lourdes and moved on to the prestigious Elder High School. Dave’s interests are only a testament to how simple he really is. When I asked him what he enjoyed, he simply said “chilling.” After asking for a little more detail, he went on to say that he enjoys skateboarding, Xbox and listening to music. He isn’t one to read novels, but he was quick to admit that he loves all of Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Picoult’s literature. Some of his favorite movies include, P.S. I love you, The Notebook, Cast Away and the famous Civil War love story, Gone with the Wind . To my surprise, I heard that David was at the midnight premiere of the newly released movie, The Vow . Upon questioning, he had no comment on the issue. When I think of Mr. Meyer, he reminds me a lot of the protagonist from the award winning movie, Good Will Hunting. His mind is intellectually gifted, but you wouldn’t know it upon first glance. We wish Dave the best of luck as he finishes up at Elder and starts college.