College Board Recognizes Outstanding High School Students

Students at Athens, IAE and Troy High School earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs. These programs celebrate students' hard work in high school and showcase their strong academic performance. The academic honors for rural area, Black, Indigenous, and/or Latino students are an opportunity for students to share their strong academic achievements with colleges and scholarship programs that are seeking to recruit diverse talent.

• Nicholas Carpenter (THS): NHRA
• Nicholas Carranza (Athens): NHRA
• Lauren Cooper (THS): NAARA
• Sonia De Donno (THS): NHRA
• Dana Garcia (THS): NHRA
• Kevin Hartwell (Athens): NHRA
• Erin Humphrey (THS): NAARA
• Ryan Mancini (IAE): NHRA
• Cielo MendezMartinez (THS): NHRA
• Michelle Nartey (Athens): NAARA
• Rosabelle Obiakor (IAE): NAARA
• Jacob Ritter (THS): NIA
• Makenzie Sawyers (Athens): NAARA Award Key: --National African American Recognition Award (NAARA) --National Hispanic Recognition Award (NHRA) --National Rural and Small Town Award (NRSTA) --National Indigenous Award (NIA)

"The Troy School District is honored to recognize our students for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to academic excellence,” said Superintendent Dr. Rich Machesky. “It is a testament to the unwavering commitment of our schools that nurture and empower young minds for a bright future."

The criteria for eligible students include:

· GPA of 3.5 or higher.

· PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 assessment scores that are within the top 10% of assessment takers in each state for each award program or earned a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP Exams in 9th and 10th grade.

· Attend school in a rural area or small town, or identify as African American/Black, Hispanic American/Latino, or Indigenous/Native.

Eligible students were invited to apply on BigFuture during their sophomore or junior year and are awarded at the start of the next school year in time to share their achievements in high school as they plan for the future. At the same time, colleges and organizations using College Board’s Student Search Service™ can connect directly with awardees during the recruitment process.

“It’s becoming increasingly hard for students to be ‘seen’ during the college recruitment process. We’re exceptionally proud of the National Recognition Programs for celebrating students who are at times overlooked but have shown their outstanding academic abilities,” said Tarlin Ray, senior vice president of BigFuture® at College Board. “This is a benefit not only for students but also for colleges and universities committed to recruiting diverse and talented students.”