“I can’t, I have to practice,” Instrumental Music Sterling Scholar Cameron Jeppson said to his eager classmates as they asked if he was going out to dinner with them to celebrate the concert they had finished just minutes before.

“I had college auditions coming up,” Jeppson said. “I had to get back to prepare for them.”

It would be easy to blame his parents as the reason behind being so disciplined in his practicing, but Jeppson has been the one choosing what he wants to pursue, ever since he was 18-months old.

“The story is that when I was 18-months old, we went to a wedding reception, and I saw some people playing the violin and kept asking when it was my turn to play the violin,” Jeppson said. “I kept asking for another year and a half, so for my third birthday I got a violin and started taking lessons.”

This drive was not only clear when he itched to play the violin, but all throughout Jeppson’s childhood.  Whether it was aerospace or reading, physics or music, Jeppson would set out on a mission to learn everything he could about what interested him.  While most kids wanted to go to the park, Jeppson begged to go to the library.  Jeppson’s passion came on his own accord, not by the will of his parents, and that is what allowed him to become fully enthralled in music.

Though Jeppson always knew he wanted to continue to play violin after high school, he was unsure as to whether he would play in college until this year.

“In the past year my love for music has continued to grow,” Jeppson said. “I’ve been enjoying it more and more, so I want to play in college.”

Aside from music, Jeppson enjoys being with family and friends, and loves to be outdoors.  He has run cross country for Highland, but above all Jeppson prioritizes school.

His focus on academics shows through his perfect ACT score, his countless AP classes, and his impressive GPA.  Jeppson hopes that his hard work in school will get him into either the University of Michigan or the Rice University Shepherd School of Music.  Because Jeppson places his focus on both violin and academics, he plans to pursue a dual-degree in college, allowing him to earn two bachelor’s degrees simultaneously.  In this program, he will major in violin performance and math in order to decide which path he wants to pursue as a career.

Jeppson’s achievements in school have earned him a spot as a candidate for the Presidential Scholars Program.  After being nominated, Jeppson filled out an application, and is now waiting to find out if he is one of the 161 seniors selected from the U.S. to travel to Washington D.C. to receive his award.

“If I had one word to describe Cameron, it would be curious,” Willow Jeppson, Cameron Jeppson’s mother, said. “He was always the kid who was standing there, not smiling, with big eyes, just taking in the world.”

Despite finding his niche, Jeppson remains curious and ready to learn.  This willingness to discover new things is what allowed Jeppson to become the well-rounded student he is.  His commitment to everything he puts his mind to allows him to excel in music, math, and will ultimately lead to him achieving anything he aspires to.