Arlington High School senior Tyler Gjersee goes by many titles: captain of the Hi-Q team, a German and math tutor, co-captain of the tennis team, a Safeway helper clerk, and now he can add one more designation. Tyler was recently named a Washington Scholar.

The Washington Scholar program recognizes three high school seniors from each legislative district who are in the top one percent of their graduating class and have demonstrated outstanding performance in academics, leadership and community service. The Washington Scholar program awarded Tyler with a four-year undergraduate tuition scholarship.

"It was cool, I wasn't really expecting it," said the 18-year-old. "It was a big honor."

Tyler has worked very hard for this prestigious award, sustaining a 4.0 GPA since the 7th grade and being a member of the National Honor Society.

He attributes a lot of his success in school to his mother, who is a 4th grade teacher in Lake Stevens.

"My mom has always pushed me to do well in school from a young age," Tyler explained. "She helped me a lot when I was younger, not so much now with the math, but with proofreading my papers and encouraging me to do well."

Tyler also believes that his achievements come from just trying to do well in school. "I've always tried to do my best. You don't have to be incredibly smart in school--you just have to try. If my school work is only going to take me an extra hour, I'll spend the time and do it."

The Arlington teen's success has not come easy, though. When Tyler was young, he had a condition that affected his ability to talk and function as a normal child.

"I had a really bad speech impediment and lesions on my brain that affected my motor and physical skills," Tyler explained. "I had speech and physical therapy for 8 years. I had to work a little harder as a kid, which has taught me to always work hard in life. It was a skill that I picked up early--to try hard."

His stellar grades and academic work ethic have also helped him to become the Hi-Q captain and a member of the AHS Knowledge Bowl team. Tyler joined the Hi-Q team in his sophomore year, and he and his team won the championship in his junior year and took second place this year. He has also been apart of the Knowledge Bowl team for four years, going to the playoffs twice.

Outside of academic pursuits, other school activities are very important to Tyler. During his first year at AHS, Tyler joined the band as a trumpet player, an instrument he's enjoyed since the 5th grade. He is a part of the marching band, wind ensemble, Jazz On-Hold, and pep band.

"I got into music through school and now I have branched out and play the guitar and ukulele," Tyler said.

He recently built a Theremin, which is a wooden box with two antennas on the top that changes pitch by simply moving your hands around the box, without touching it. "I'll have friends over and we'll try to record music for fun," said the young musician.

Trying to add more physical activities into his routine, Tyler also joined the school's tennis team as a freshman and worked his way up to co-captain for the varsity squad.

When Tyler finally gets some free time from his busy schedule, he enjoys being outside with his friends and playing golf or waterskiing and wakeboarding. He and his friends recently took up the sport of hacky sack and enjoy a quick game while hanging out. "It's a nice time-killer when you're standing around," he said.

Tyler also enjoys staying connected with his community through volunteer activities at food banks and in helping salmon restoration at Snohomish County fisheries. "My mom takes her class, and I go along to help out," said Tyler. His latest volunteer act is giving blood, which he hopes to routinely do every two months, saying, "I think it's an important thing to do and it helps a lot of people."

With only a few more months of high school, Tyler is ready and excited to move on to the next chapter in his life, which includes the University of Washington. Tyler is excited to attend the university and is looking forward to enjoying college life and the beautiful campus. He plans to major in chemistry or another science field and become "something like a quantum physicist," he said.

"I could see myself being at a university and researching my whole life. There are so many weird things in the world and in space, and I would love to learn about all of it."

Finally, Tyler wanted to express gratitude to those who've contributed to his success. "Thank you to all my teachers, friends and family who helped me achieve my goals. Every single teacher helped me so much in so many ways. Thank you."

This is the third year in a row that an Arlington High School student has earned the statewide academic honor. Colleen McElroy was named a Washington Scholar in 2008, and in 2007 the designation went to Annie Thordarson.