With spring break over and graduation around the corner, seniors are getting recognized for the hard work they have put in throughout their high school careers.
On Tuesday, March 25, the National Merit and College Board Recognition Award ceremony for Seminole County was held at Lake Brantley High School. The awards presented included National first-generation, rural/small town, African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Indigenous/Native American recognition as well as the National Merit Finalist and Semifinalist awards. The awards were exclusively for the class of 2025. Hagerty had 38 students selected, the second most behind Seminole High School. The school also had 13 National Merit semifinalists and 12 finalists. Recognition is based on college board facilitated tests such as AP exams and PSAT/NMSQT.
Hagerty students gathered at 5:45 p.m. for a group photo before the ceremony, which began at 6 p.m. Prior to the event, there were cookies and beverages for attendees.
For many students, these awards are the culmination of their dedication to their education.
“It is what I live for. Seeing students achieve greatness who have worked so hard for so long and also seeing them have that social emotional ‘ah-ha’ moment of what really matters in life,” College and Career counselor Andrea Fuhrer said.
Fuhrer coordinated with students to keep them updated on the event and read their names followed by a brief note about their future plans as they walked across the stage. The ceremony was an opportunity for students to reflect on the past while stepping into the future.
“It feels really good to be able to look back at my accomplishments and say, ‘Oh, this is why I worked so hard’ it’s to get to where I am now,” National First-Generation Recognition recipient Jenna Manieri said.
Manieri, who received a $12,000 scholarship, will attend Florida Gulf Coast University and will play lacrosse.
Fuhrer emphasized the role these awards can play in college admissions as well as scholarships and wants younger students to be aware of these opportunities.
“If you’re a National Merit Finalist or semifinalist, colleges want you. Part of their prestige is based on how many National Merit qualifying students they get—it’s about attracting the best and brightest students to your campus.”
To be a semifinalist, a student needs to be in the 99th percentile of test takers. To be a finalist the College Board looks more closely at accomplishments and grades, and there is a student write up and required letters of recommendation to earn the distinction.
Those who qualified for Hagerty include Vietlong Bui, Owen Colley, Keneth Deng, Karissa Emmert, Claire Cosio, Benjamin Frankson, Robert Hall, Jason Hu, Krishan Kaippilly, Brianna Lannon, Josephine Lim, Pablo Salinas and Owen Fox.
Students who receive the National Hispanic/Latino recognition are automatically given a 100% Bright Futures Scholarship.
Many underclassmen may not be privy to all of the opportunities and benefits that are available to them given consistent academic and extracurricular performance. There are hundreds of scholarships available for various different achievements, fields, ethnic groups and backgrounds.
“My advice to younger students is to stay motivated, even though school can burn you out, focus on your long term goals and look for opportunities that can be beneficial, all of the awards and scholarships we got you have to apply for, they don’t just give them out,” National Hispanic/Latino recognition recipient Guadalupe Maggio said.
