Published On: October 25th, 2013By Leticia Fehling

Aldine ISD Students Earn National Merit Honors

Eleven seniors from Aldine ISD high schools recently received recognition based on their performance last year on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). The National Merit Scholarship Program is one of the most esteemed scholastic competitions in the nation.

Two Aldine ISD seniors — Celia Meza of MacArthur High School and Madison Foreman of Victory Early College High School — have been named National Merit Commended Scholars. Approximately 34,000 high performers from throughout the nation have been named Commended Students for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2014 competition for National Merit scholarships, Commended Students placed among the top 5% of more than 1.5 million students who entered the competition by taking the PSAT/NMSQT. They represent some of the most academically talented students in the country.

A number of students were also named National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) Scholars. NHRP Scholars are identified for their high test scores and self-reported Hispanic heritage. This year, the NHRP recognized about 5,300 Hispanic/Latino students that were selected from a pool of over 259,000 who took the 2012 PSAT/NMSQT. Students recognized by the NHRP must have a junior year cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher to be designated as Scholars. Aldine ISD seniors named NHRP Scholars are Alexander Hernández and Jeffrey González from Eisenhower High School, Celia Meza from MacArthur High School; Lázaro Rojas Jr., Eric Palacios and Aníbal Vergara from Nimitz High School; as well as Jonathan Marcias and Jorge García-Rivera of Victory Early College High School.

Additionally, two Carver High School seniors — Tevin G. Wilson and Jonathan L. Baird — are among 3,100 Outstanding Participants in the 2014 National Achievement Scholarship Program. According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, the National Achievement Scholarship Program honors academically-promising Black American high school students. These students scored in the top 3% of more than 160,000 Black Americans who requested consideration in the 2014 National Achievement Program when they took the 2012 PSAT/NMSQT.