From the gridiron to the speech-and-debate contest stage, Cale Wheeler has done it all at Lampasas High School. Now, he is a National Merit Scholar.
Last week, Wheeler became the first National Merit Scholar Finalist at LHS since 2019. The National Merit Scholarship Program is a prestigious, annual academic competition that recognizes and honors high-achieving high school students from across the nation.
“Excited, really excited,” Wheeler said of his reaction to being named a finalist. “Actually for a bit, I didn’t think I had gotten it because I was supposed to hear back sooner, but something got caught in the mail so the school never got it. I checked on my own on the database and found out I was [selected]. It was a good surprise!”
Each spring, students qualify for the program by placing in the top 1% in their respective states on the PSAT, a practice exam administered before students take the SAT college entrance exam.
Before the PSAT exam, Wheeler spent time taking multiple practice exams, along with studying the SAT to help prepare him for test day.
After learning during the fall his PSAT score had made him a semifinalist, Wheeler filled out a college-like application that included his extracurricular activities, awards and an essay. For his essay, Wheeler focused on how he had overcome a speech impediment to flourish in speech-anddebate contests.
Wheeler believes his high school successes have been due to his drive to overcome his speech impediment.
“The option was either I let this dictate my life and prevent me from doing the things I want to do, or just put in more time and effort and become the best I can be,” the student said. “At the end of the day, I think it has actually helped me because it gave me motivation to overcome that challenge and to be even better than I could be without it.”
Wheeler has been a top performer in multiple speech and debate contests, including a second-place finish at last year’s state UIL Informative Speaking Contest. As a sophomore, he qualified to compete at the prestigious JW Patterson Tournament of Champions at the University of Kentucky.
Wheeler’s older brother, Cole Wheeler -- now an LHS teacher and former UIL Informative Speaking state champion -- has been another motivator to help him succeed in speech-anddebate contests.
“To be able to be exposed to someone who is older and successful in these things, it inspires you at an even younger age to do those same things as well,” Wheeler said.
Along with his speech contests, Wheeler said athletics -- including four years on the Badger football team -- have helped him develop into the National Merit Scholar finalist he is today.
“Football helped me a lot because it teaches you how to work with a team, how to go through hardships with a team and overcome those things together,” he said. “I think football was one of the best opportunities I had to not only grow as a student by learning these important lessons on how to overcome obstacles, but also to grow as a person.”
Although athletics have been a big part of high school for Wheeler, academics have always remained number one, he said. The LHS senior also credits his parents, Haley and Shawn Wheeler, for pushing him to make academics his priority.
“With both my mom and dad, it has always been a big focus that academics comes first and is something you take pride in,” Wheeler said. “Not just because of getting a good grade, but that is how you grow as a person is by educating yourself.”
As a parent, Shawn Wheeler said he is thrilled to see his son’s success. The key to getting his children engaged in academics? Reading books at night, he said.
“As most parents do, we read to them when they were little, and that continued on with all three of our children,” Shawn said. “Things they were interested in, at some point they started picking up the books wanting to read themselves. It’s not that it was forced upon them. The opportunity was made available to them because we modeled it earlier on to them by just reading to them.”
Cale Wheeler will have more to read than ever when he steps inside the halls of Yale University this fall for his first semester of college. Unlike other Ivy League universities Wheeler was eyeing, he believes Yale will provide the most welcoming environment.
“From everything I’ve seen at Yale, it’s a very collaborative environment where everyone is working to not try to out-do someone else, but to be able to be the best they can and help other people be the best they can,” Wheeler said.
As a goal-oriented student, Wheeler already is planning for his next step after he secures an undergraduate education, whether that be a doctorate or law degree. His goal? To become engaged in the political arena.
“I’d love to maybe work for a campaign, work in politics, maybe someday become an elected official if that opportunity arises,” Wheeler said. “Whatever I can do in politics to try and improve the society around me.”
Unlike some of his colleagues who struggle with “senioritis” in their last semester of high school, Wheeler has much left to accomplish before he trades the Badger blue for Yale blue. Along with UIL One-Act Play, Wheeler is chasing a UIL Informative Speaking state title. Also, he plans to compete in the Texas Forensic Association State Speaking contest March 12-14.
“I’ve been accepted to college and all that, but that is not why I do this,” he said. “I do this because I want to be the best I can be. I still have one more opportunity to go out and do the best I can do in speech and debate, and theater, and finish strong – that is what I’m trying to do.”