Blanson CTE High School Senior Miguel Chacón Named a National Merit Semi-Finalist

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The district’s recent National Merit history includes Eisenhower HS’ Som-Mai Nguyen, a Finalist in 2013, and Semi-Finalist Ruben Oblitas from Victory Early College HS in 2015.

Blanson CTE High School senior Miguel Chacón has been named a National Merit Semi-Finalist.

Miguel is a senior at Blanson CTE High School and is ranked No. 1 in his class.

Miguel is a young man of few words, but when he learned from Blanson Principal Ben Ibarra and his counselor that he had been named a National Merit Semi-Finalist, he was overcome with joy.

“I’m a person of very few words, but when Mr. Ibarra and my counselor told me via Zoom, I opened my mouth wide and said, ‘oh, my gosh.’ It was not my normal reaction of saying, ‘ok,’” Miguel said.

Ibarra said Blanson is fortunate to have a student of Miguel’s stature.

“Blanson CTE High School is grateful that Miguel made Blanson his school of choice,” Ibarra said. “Miguel exemplifies all of Blanson’s six core values and is a leader on campus.”

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and college scholarships. Scholars earn the distinction of semi-finalists based on their top scores on the Preliminary SAT.

More than 1.5 million juniors and approximately 21,000 high schools from across the country took the PSAT, and only 16,000 of these students qualified as National Merit Semi-Finalists. Nationally, 15,000 of the Semi-Finalists are expected to advance to become National Merit Finalists and scholarship winners in the spring.

Miguel hopes to attend MIT next year but has already received scholarship offers from Texas A&M University, the University of Tampa, and Grinnell College.

When asked how his family reacted to Miguel’s news of becoming a National Merit Semi-Finalist, he said they were proud of him.

“My parents said ‘good job’ and that they are proud of me,” Miguel said. “My brother understood the significance of it. He awarded me by taking me out for crawfish.”

Miguel, a computer enthusiast, said he would major in computer science in college. He credits Blanson teacher Leonel Rodríguez with piquing his interest in computers. “He got me interested in them,” he said.

Miguel is president of Blanson’s National Honor Society, a member of the school’s Technology Association (TSA). He also serves as one of Aldine ISD Superintendent Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney’s Student Ambassadors and serves as a tutor for other Blanson students.

Miguel has been a student in Aldine ISD since the second grade when he attended Goodman Elementary School. He went to Hill Intermediate School (now Hill Elementary School), Stovall Middle School, and spent his freshman year at Aldine Ninth Grade School before enrolling in Blanson CTE High School when it opened in August 2018.

He loves attending Blanson because of the school’s opportunities and the staff of dedicated administrators and teachers.

“I would not go to any other school,” he said. “I really feel supported here. I like the staff because they are so supportive.”

While he has a passion for computers and computer programming, Miguel also enjoys reading and gardening. He also works with his father installing sprinkler systems.

Miguel said he should learn in the spring if he will be chosen as a National Merit Scholar.