College Board National Recognition Programs award 13 students from Polk State’s collegiate high schools

Thirteen students across Polk State College’s three collegiate high schools earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs. These programs celebrate students’ hard work in high school and showcase their strong academic performance. The academic honors for rural area, Black, Indigenous, and/or Latino students are an opportunity for students to share their strong academic achievements with colleges and scholarship programs that are seeking to recruit diverse talent.

Polk State Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School

Mauricio Coral, National Hispanic Recognition Award (NHRA)
Mikayla Ximines, National African American Recognition Award (NAARA)

Polk State Lakeland Collegiate High School

Zaim Merchant, National Rural and Small Town Award (NRSTA)
Khimarie Carpenter, NHRA
Joeci Orth, NRSTA
Gabriella JP-Samuel, NAARA
Nancy Vutuan, NRSTA
Kelly Granger, NRSTA
Natalia Diaz, NRSTA
Isabel Perez, NHRA
Misha Abraham, NRSTA
Allison Sullivan, NRSTA

Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Collegiate High School

Faith Williams, NAARA

“We are incredibly proud of our awardees and three collegiate high schools,” Polk State President Angela Garcia Falconetti said. “Polk State’s collegiate high schools provide students with the opportunity to complete their high school requirements and college credits simultaneously, with the majority of students graduating high school with their college degrees. Their commitment to academic excellence is unparalleled.”

Criteria for the College Board National Recognition Programs include:

• GPA of 3.5 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 in 9th and 10th grade.
• Attend school in a rural area or small town, or identify as African American/Black, Hispanic American/Latino, or Indigenous/Native.

Eligible students are invited to apply on BigFuture during their sophomore or junior year and are awarded at the start of the next school year in time to share their achievements in high school as they plan for the future. At the same time, colleges and organizations using College Board’s Student Search Service™ can connect directly with awardees during the recruitment process.

“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,” said Tarlin Ray, Senior Vice President of BigFuture® at College Board. “This is a benefit not only for students but also for colleges and universities committed to recruiting diverse and talented students.”