College Board recipients

Midlothian, IL – Students in Bremen High School District 228 earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Program. The programs celebrate the hard work of thousands of high school students nationwide to help them showcase their strong academic performance.

For the first time, the academic honors recognize first-generation students, in addition to rural and small town, Black, Indigenous, and Hispanic/or Latino students. The program opens college access for more students because many institutions use the awards for their recruitment efforts.

At Bremen High School, 19 students were awarded. At Tinley Park High School, 8 students were awarded. Hillcrest High School had 24 students who were awarded.Oak Forest High School had 10 students.

Bremen’s award recipients are: Kaitlyn Blomfeldt, Frida Bocanegra Macias, Dulce Camargo, Cassidy Carten, Yoseline De La Rosa, Christopher DeHaas, Devyn Ferguson, Jacen Gertos, Juan Gomez, Asia Hawkins, Nataly Hernandez, Kamaya Johnson, Yoselin Martinez, Bailee McFall, Jonathan Murzyn, Jennifer Negrete, Andrik Rios, Johanna Telles, and Cristian Zarate.

“We are extremely proud of our students and the commitment that they have shown to academic success,” said Bremen High School Principal Dr. Jessica Rucinski. “The students that are being recognized this year have demonstrated achievement both in the classroom and on College Board assessments. The future is bright for each of these students and we appreciate the College Board's recognition of their efforts!”

Tinley Park High School’s recipients are Cayden Booker, Alexis Burke, Betzaira Castaneda, Alejandro Cordero, Berenice Hernandez, Samantha Hesse, Najlaa Mansour, and Monserrath Montoya.

“The students and staff at Tinley Park High School are incredibly proud of our students who received College Board Recognition,” said Dr. Theresa Nolan, principal of Tinley Park High School. “ Their achievement highlights the academic opportunities that are available to all of our Titan students.  We wish all of our Titans continued academic success!”

Hillcrest High School’s recipients are: Olivia Alexander, Serenity Arrington, Pashance Booth, Johnel Brown, Emily Corona, Daniel Davalos, Olamilekan Fabamigbe, Kenneth Francis, Journey Giddens, Sema J Grover, Liyah Jackson, Breyanah Lewis, Ariyah Lowery, Isabella Marshall, Caimora Montgomery, Ashani Moore, Julius Nicholson, Michael Okechukwu, Cydney Perry, Makayla Rupert, Micah Scott, Sosha Williams, Sidney Yancy, and Ariana Zaragoza.

“Congratulations to the Hillcrest Hawks for their amazing academic achievements and recognition,” said Principal Ron Towner. “The Hillcrest community is so proud of all of your accomplishments. Each of you have put in the work to be great in the classroom and your efforts have paid off.  Keep up the great work and we're looking forward to all you are able to accomplish in the future.”

Oak Forest High School’s recipients are: Savario Arvia, Scarlett Berrios, Emilia Dobrzyn, Jocelyn Esparza, Armeiah Girgis, Jordyn Klusacek, Jennifer Komolafe, Peter Maka, Ethan Nutile, and Iyobosa Odiase.

“Oak Forest High School is thrilled to have the College Board recognize 10 of our students through the National Recognition Program,” said Principal Jane Dempsey. “This program recognizes outstanding Black, Hispanic, and First Generation students for their outstanding academic achievements. Congratulations on this recognition.”

Eligible students must meet the following criteria to qualify:

·       Earn a GPA of B+ (equal to at least 3.3 or 87%-89%) 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 2 or more AP Exams by the end of 10th grade.

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

The program expanded this year to include a fifth award. Over 35,000 students nationwide received the inaugural National First-Generation Recognition Program Award.

Every year, students can verify their eligibility on BigFuture® during their sophomore or junior year. At the start of the next school year, students receive their awards for their communities to celebrate them and colleges to recruit them as they head back to school for their junior or senior year. Thousands of nonprofit colleges and organizations using College Board’s Student Search Service™ can connect with awardees during the recruitment process to share more about their postsecondary programs.

“This year, the National Recognition Programs are recognizing more students than ever so that the outstanding academic abilities of more than 90,000 deserving students are not overlooked as they plan for their future,” said Amy Reitz, senior vice president of BigFuture at College Board. “We’re proud to support colleges and universities that are committed to supporting all students, and our program offers one way they can strengthen their recruitment efforts to students that will thrive on their campus.”