Walking into meet 18-year-old Decker Paulmeier, I had no clue how I would feel interviewing someone closer to my age, but I soon realized, millennial to millennial, I was impressed. Decker sharpened my thoughts, made me think and left me refreshed, knowing I had probably just met the smartest teenager in my life.
Decker, a soon to be Bluffton High School graduate this spring, and I began relating on the subject of high school, and he lit up. “I love high school; I am very involved. I’ve been taking AP courses since freshman year, trying to do my best.” Decker is very involved indeed. He is a part of sports, student government and school clubs. He is the captain of the varsity lacrosse team, as well as a football player. He is involved in youth government, the president of the National Honor Society, on student council, Bluffton’s DECA chapter president, a member of Boys State, won first place at the Sea Island Science fair his freshman and sophomore year, and lastly, participates in quiz bowls for Bluffton High School.