WAUWATOSA, Wis.—  Eleanor Hannan, a junior at Wauwatosa West High School, is busy starting a final paper for a unit on Shakespeare’s Othello in her AP Literature class. 

“I’m writing about Emilia as a foil [character] to the villain, Iago,” she explained. 

She spent the last few years focusing on becoming a better writer, and decided to add the writing portion to her most recent attempt at the ACT exam.

She took the test in September for a third time. 

The first time was when she was in 7th grade, and then again as a freshman. 

“I actually didn’t do a ton of prep for this last time, because I thought it would be nice to kind of gauge where I was after almost two years of not taking the test,” Hannan explained. “And, then I ended up not having to ever take it again, which was a nice plus.”

She doesn’t have to take it again — because she can’t score anything higher than that score — a perfect 36. 

On average, less than 1/10 of 1% of ACT takers achieve a perfect score every year. 

“I knew it was like, a vague possibility, but it wasn’t something I ever thought that I would do,” Hannan said. 

So — what does a junior, who doesn’t have to worry about a college entrance exam again — do?  

She sings.

It’s something she’s been doing since she was little. 

“I started when I was nine,” Hannan said. I did the Wizard of Oz with the Children’s Theatre of Wauwatosa," Hannan said. “I played Dorothy, and I never looked back.”

Even though the curtain is closed on the spring production of the Beauty and the Beast, there’s a lot of work Hannan said she needs to do.  

She’s getting ready for potential upcoming college auditions. 

“I take voice lessons every week and practice every day, I take dance lessons at Danceworks, and I’m trying to ramp those up so that I’m ready for dance auditions because that is the weakest of the three disciplines,” Hannan said. 

She’s still got a full year of high school left, but she’s been looking at several universities where she can study musical theater. 

“I’ve got a lot on the list because it’s a very competitive process, so I have to cast a wide net. But I’d have to say my number one would be Baldwin Wallace University in Ohio,” Hannan said. “I love the University of Michigan’s program, Carnegie Mellon, I mean those are everyone’s top schools for this field, but they really are amazing, and I’d be so lucky if one of them wanted me.”

Because of her talent and that perfect ACT score, there are likely a lot of schools that will likely vie for Hannan’s decision next year — and she’s ready to make the world her stage.