Ten students from the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts recently received honors in the College Board National Recognition Programs.
The programs celebrate students’ hard work and academic performance. Students who take eligible PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10 or AP eligible exams and meet the score requirements are considered for awards. The five national recognition programs include the National African American Recognition Program, National First-Generation Recognition Program, National Hispanic Recognition Program, National Indigenous Recognition Program and the National Rural and Small Town Recognition Program.
ASMSA students earning recognition and their recognition program include:
- Damian Biggs, a senior from Washington County, First-Generation, Indigenous and Rural and Small Town;
- Violet Dailey, a junior from Sherwood, First Generation;
- Alice Dong, a senior from Arkadelphia, First Generation;
- Lakaylah Hall, a senior from Little Rock, First Generation;
- Jaime Hernandez Perez, a senior from Decatur, First Generation and Hispanic;
- Kelvin Orduna, a senior from Huntsville, First Generation and Hispanic;
- Sarah Pham, a senior from Hot Springs, First Generation;
- Finneas Salazar, a senior from Searcy, Hispanic; and
- Sage Torres, a senior from Fairfield Bay, First Generation and Hispanic.
The academic honors offer recognized students an opportunity to share their strong academic achievements with colleges and scholarship programs that are seeking to recruit diverse talent, according to a release from College Board, a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity that was founded in 1900. The organization’s membership includes 6,000 educational institutions.
Students apply for the programs through College Board’s BigFuture initiative, which offers participants opportunities to connect directly with higher education institutions, search for scholarships and explore possible careers.