Seniors Bret Reinking, Emily Adams, Hannah Zabalaoui, Jacob Nanez, Nelson Fesas, and William Spellman-Saenz were recognized through The National Hispanic Recognition Program.

The National Hispanic Recognition Progam is a program that honors different Hispanic/Latino students who excel academically on the PSAT their junior year. Over 5,000 students from the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Mariana and Marshall Islands are recognized each year.

“It feels really good to be recognized because it feels like all of my hard work throughout high school paid off,” Zabalaoui said.

To be eligible for the NHRP, students must take the PSAT in October of their junior year, achieve the minimum required PSAT cutoff score for their region, and achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher by the end of their junior year. Students also need to be at least one-quarter of Hispanic or Latino descent.

“I was surprised to find out that I was recognized because I wasn’t expecting it. It feels good to know that I am,” Spellman-Saenz said.

The NHRP is an ethnic category and applicants must be from a family whose ancestors are from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia,  Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, or Venezuela.

“I get my Hispanic heritage from my mom’s side and it gives me a sense of accomplishment to know that I was recognized,” Zabalaoui said.

Students who would like to be recognized need to fill out their own online application and submit a paper that verifies their ethnicity and GPA. Those who are recognized will receive a certificate during September of their senior year. It does not include a financial reward, but gives colleges a chance to see an achievement on academic performance.