COPPERAS COVE, Texas (FOX 44) – 19 Copperas Cove High School students have received national recognition from the College Board! 

According to the Copperas Cove Independent School District, the 2023 College Board National Recognition Programs were announced this week, and recognize academic honors for rural area, Black, Indigenous and/or Latina students who have seen strong academic achievements with colleges and scholarship programs that are seeking to recruit diverse talent. 

The district says that the criteria to receive recognitions in these programs include: 

·         GPA of 3.5 or higher. 

·         PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 assessment scores that are within the top ten percent of assessment takers in each state for each award program or earned a score of 3 or higher on 2 or more AP Exams in ninth and tenth grade. 

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

The recognitions awarded this week, designed to celebrate underrepresented students who excel academically on College Board assessments, were: National African American Recognition Award (NAARA), National Hispanic Recognition Award (NHRA), National Rural and Small-Town Award (NRSTA) and the National Indigenous Award (NIA). 

The students who received these honors are listed below, with their honor or honors listed to the right: 

·         A’Mirikale Davis: NAARA 

·         Anthony Guerra: NHRA, NRSTA 

·         Cheyenne Daley: NAARA 

·         Daniel Smith: NRSTA 

·         Emileigh McLaughlin: NRSTA 

·         Emmett Harrell: NRSTA 

·         Hailey Williams: NHRA 

·         Hayden Peacock: NRSTA 

·         Iain Forde: NRSTA 

·         Joleeanna Hair: NHRA 

·         Katharine Frazee: NRSTA 

·         Madison Sims: NRSTA 

·         Meagan Hunt: NRSTA 

·         Nolan Davidson: NRSTA 

·         Robert Hopko: NRSTA 

·         Samantha Parker: NRSTA 

·         Sierra Dwight: NRSTA 

·         Taylor Rolfe: NRSTA 

·         Zechar Jose: NAARA 

Tarlin Ray, senior vice president of BigFuture at College Board added, “It’s becoming increasingly hard for students to be ‘seen’ during the college recruitment process. We’re exceptionally proud of the National Recognition Programs for celebrating students who are at times overlooked but have shown their outstanding academic abilities. This is a benefit not only for students but also for colleges and universities committed to recruiting diverse and talented students.” 

According to BigFuture, high-achieving students from all 50 states and U.S. territories were eligible to apply for all four programs.