On August 31, 44 MAST Academy students were congratulated for winning an award from the College Board National Recognition Program.
As college application and scholarship registration deadlines loom closer, high school students are frantically trying to gather information from college counselors and the internet about what programs they should be applying to in order to have the greatest effect on the Admissions Officers of their dream colleges. Open to upcoming juniors and seniors, the College Board National Recognition Program Scholar reaches out to students through e-mail at the end of their sophomore and junior years and awards students who attend school in the United States and fit the requirements.
In order to apply for this award, students not only have to have a minimum GPA of 3.5 and a PSAT score in the top 10 percentile within the program in the state of Florida, but they also have to identify as African American, Indigenous, Hispanic American, or attend high school in a rural or small town. In MAST, 37 students received the National Hispanic Recognition Award (NHRA) and 7 received the National African American Recognition Award (NAARA).
Awardees reflected on what it could have been like for their parents if they had the chance to sign up for this program.
“My dad…always said that if he had the opportunity to study in America he would have really taken that. …He says, ‘If I had come to America before I was in my twenties and I was still in high school, I would have done so much.’ I feel like he would have loved to have a program like this even in his country. He would have taken advantage of this program. So, when I told him about it he said, ‘Yea for sure, go do it. It’ll be a great thing for you.’,” NAARA recipient and junior Keslyne Gedeon said.
Although it was difficult to be nominated for the program because of its academic rigor and specific requirements, the application process was simple.
“I think it was fairly easy to just apply for it once I got the e-mail saying I was nominated. I just had to fill out a few things and from there they let me know a few months after that,” NAHRA recipient and junior Federico Aquarone said.
The program awards students with all kinds of family backgrounds and cultures with the goal of recognizing the academic achievements of communities that are underrepresented in colleges throughout the United States.
“Probably a lot of families see it as a really cool achievement. Especially my family because I’m gonna be the first one going to college, so my entire family is like ‘Oh my God, you’re like the coolest person alive!’,” NAARA and NAHRA recipient, junior Mia Reyes said, “I think it is really cool for everyone to be recognized like this.”
“I think it is important to highlight…minorities and underrepresented communities because… the majority often receives the most attention and the most support. So, if you highlight the achievements of those more underrepresented communities you can boost their confidence,” NAHRA recipient and junior Edgar Batista said.
This program recognizes the struggles of students in minority groups whether the struggle be being held back in school due to difficulties in understanding the language or being a target of discrimination and prejudice, awarding them based on their academic achievements and hard work.
“I think it is [important]. I think that it creates a good distinction when you are applying for college to kind of set you apart from other students that maybe have a lot more opportunities than you do,” NAHRA recipient and senior Victoria Alonso said.
MAST Academy’s National Recognition Program Winners
Alejandro Perez: NHRAAlexander Ambroise: NAARAAlexis Jose: NAARA, NHRAAna Rosanosam: NHRAAna Cecilia Balabuch Dal Bo: NHRAAnnelise Zea: NHRAAnthony Ramirez: NHRABradshyr Mortimer: NAARACarlota Gillard: NHRAChristopher Estrada-Garcia: NHRAChristopher Aleman: NHRACristobal Munoz Legarre: NHRADaniel Dinamarca: NHRADante Funez: NHRAEdgar Batista: NHRAEduardo Sourd: NHRAElena Quintela: NHRAEmma Almanza: NHRAEthan Lopez: NHRAEva Reyna: NHRAFederico Acquarone: NHRAHannah Schmidt: NHRAIgnacio Rivero: NHRAJorge Ramirez: NHRAJuan-Felipe Paredes: NHRAKeslyne Gedeon: NAARAKevin Obando: NHRALaura Prieto: NHRALorenzo Alvarez: NHRAMaria Eduarda Claudino: NHRAMaya Funez: NHRAMaya Collie: NAARAMia Reyes: NAARA, NHRAMilo Akerman: NHRAMylah Tate: NAARARafael Calderon: NHRASebastian Navarro: NHRASienna Lallemand: NAARASofia Sassone: NHRAThomas Green: NHRATobias Urcuyo: NHRAVanessa Convers: NHRAVictor Palomino: NHRAVictoria Alonso: NHRA
National African American Recognition Award (NAARA)National Hispanic Recognition Award (NHRA)