A big future now awaits six students from Morgantown High School.
BigFuture is the online guide administered by the national College Board to help students get ready for education and life after high school.
Some $14 million in scholarships though the BigFuture program have been awarded to more than 14,000 students across the U.S. since its founding in 2018, the organization said.
Students must score in the top 10% of their preliminary SAT to quality, along with holding down a 3.5 grade-point average — while also having taken at least two Advanced Placement exams with scores of 3 or above.
Along with their academics, they must also identify as African American or Black, Hispanic or Latino, Indigenous or Native, or attend high school in a rural area or small town.
The MHS recipients:
• Belicia McKendall: National African American Recognition Award
• Evelyn Sullivan: National Rural and Small Town Award
• Jaiden Twyman: National African American Recognition Award
• Joshua Stueckle: National Rural and Small Town Award
• Sydney Frazier: National African American Recognition Award
• Tanner St. Jean: National African American Recognition Award
While it’s about academic rigor, the BigFuture program is just as much about extending a hand for support, said Tarlin Ray, who oversees the program through the College Board.
The program was still learning to walk when COVID hit in 2020. The pandemic, Ray said, caused some quick pivoting out of necessity.
“Students need a credible guide to navigate today’s challenges,” Ray said.
That meant, he said, streamlining search engines while also giving new definitions and parameters to the analytics.
Which is good, said Becky Berry, the MHS teacher who works with BigFuture in Mon’s school district.
However, she said, some things don’t need refining.
Students who work hard generally succeed, Berry told Mon Board of Education members during a meeting last week.
Nationally, only around 6,500 students a year qualify for the program, she said.
Add the above six from Morgantown High, she said to the BOE.
“We’re so proud,” she said.
“And we can’t wait to see what they go on and do.”
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