7 High School Juniors Earn National Recognition From the College Board

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Each year, about 1.6 million juniors take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). The PSAT/NMSQT is practice for the SAT. As with the SAT, PSAT/NMSQT takers have a chance to opt into the Student Search Service® and receive communications directly from colleges.

What makes the PSAT/NMSQT unique from the rest of the tests in the SAT Suite of Assessments is that it’s the qualifying test for the National Merit® Scholarship Program. The top performers on the PSAT/NMSQT can qualify for scholarships and recognition from this prestigious award program.

Students who take the PSAT/NMSQT and are African American, Hispanic American or Latinx, Indigenous, or attend school in a rural area or small town, could be invited to apply for academic recognition as part of the College Board National Recognition Programs*. To be considered, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher by the middle of their junior year. The regional cutoff score for the Southern Region is 1370.

For example, each year, the National Hispanic Recognition Program honors about 5,000 of the 250,000 Hispanic test-takers. That means they are in the top 2.5 percent among Hispanic American PSAT test-takers in their region. They can apply to earn academic recognition. The NHRP does not provide a financial reward. Yet earning academic recognition is worthy, and students should state this achievement on their college applications. The College Board also connects the high-achievers with universities across the country.

The following organizations are serving as advisers for the programs that identify high-achieving, underrepresented students:

African American Recognition–Jackie Robinson Foundation
Hispanic Recognition–Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Indigenous Recognition–Indigenous Education, Inc.
Rural and Small Town Recognition–Jack Kent Cooke Foundation

Aldine ISD has several students that qualify for prestigious scholarships based on their PSAT scores:

Blanson CTE High School

• Miguel Chacón — National Hispanic Merit Scholar
• Rafael Turrubiartes — National Hispanic Merit Scholar
• José Calvillo — National Hispanic Merit Scholar & National Indigenous Merit Scholar
• Janet Rodríguez — National Hispanic Merit Scholar

Carver HS for Engineering, Applied Technology, and the Arts

• Khaliyl Peterson — National Achievement Scholar
• Cindy Vega-Aguilar — National Hispanic Merit Scholar

Nimitz High School

• Graziela Encarnación — National Hispanic Merit Scholar

*The College Board National Recognition Programs are neither affiliated with nor endorsed by National Merit Scholarship Corporation or the National Merit Scholarship Program^®.