WACO, Texas — This year, 10 students in the Waco Independent School District were awarded national academic honors from the College Board.
It is the highest number of awardees in the district's history.
The district reports that three students are being recognized for the National African American Recognition Award (NAARA), and seven for the National Hispanic Recognition Award (NHRA). Seven of those students are also Waco ISD Superintendent Scholars.
College Board National Recognition Programs have awarded 62,000 students across America with the prestigious academic honor in 2022, out of the more than 180,000 who were eligible to apply.
Students must identify as African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Indigenous, or attend high school in a rural area or small town to qualify for the award, and those who take eligible administrations of the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, or AP Exams are considered for the awards.
The recipients from University High School are Archie Hatten III, who earned the NAARA, and Karla Suarez and Vania Gonzalez who received the NHRA.
From Waco High School, Deborah Hammond and Tionni Sheppard earned the NAARA, and Brandon Vega, James Burnias, Julio Ortega, Piper Woodward, and William Barbee all received academic honors via the NHRA program.
Waco ISD Superintendent Susan Kincannon was thrilled at the success of her district's students.
“I am so proud of this group of students for their academic achievements. It’s a huge accomplishment and the most award recipients Waco ISD has had,” said Kincannon. “They have worked extremely hard and it’s nice to see that work recognized in a way that will positively impact their future."
