At least 61 School District of Lee County students have earned academic honors from the College Board National Recognition Programs. These National Recognition Programs grant underrepresented students with academic honors that can be included on college and scholarship applications and connect students with universities across the country, helping them meaningfully connect to colleges and stand out during the admissions process. Colleges and scholarship programs identify the students through College Board’s Student Search Service.
The College Board Recognition Program honors students in four categories: National African American Recognition Award, National Hispanic Recognition Award, National Indigenous Recognition Award and/or National Rural/Small Town Recognition Award. 72,000 students received a recognition award this year.
The following Lee County students have been awarded the National Hispanic Recognition Award:
Bonita Springs High School
Cape Coral High School
- Amy Aguilar
- Lilah Castro
- Haven Mena
- Nicolas Rodriguez
Cypress Lake High School
- Alisyia Delgado
- Evelynn Mufalli
Estero High School
Fort Myers High School
- Manny Alicea
- Andrea Aragon
- Cristina Baten-Hernandez
- Adriana Bromley
- Gabrielle Garcia
- Madeline Mantifel
- Elsa Marcet
- Amy Miguel
- Alexander Sareh
Gateway High School
Island Coast High School
Lehigh Senior High School
- Maria Amparo-Torrijos
- Gabriel Silva
- Ernesto Tarre
Mariner High School
- Vincent Ehrhardt
- Sophia Foy
- Stefanie Negron
- Emely Nunez
- Olivia Peppler
- Jean Sosa
North Fort Myers High School
- James Cardona
- Layla Cedeno
- Sophia Depew
- Fernando Ferragut
- Mia Martinez
Riverdale High School
- Joselyn Gonzalez
- Maya Johnston
- Maria Lopez
The following Lee County students have been awarded the National African American Recognition Award:
Bonita Springs High School
Cypress Lake High School
Dunbar High School
- Jordan Krupick
- Aalayah Meran
- Ann Gracy Satyr
- Re'Niyah Tape
Fort Myers High School
- Kailani Casazza
- Lindsay Garconvil
- Shenard Williams
Island Coast High School
Lehigh Senior High School
- Kerwin Cyriaque
- Jada Voltaire
Mariner High School
North Fort Myers High School
South Fort Myers High School
The following student has been awarded the National Indigenous Award:
Cypress Lake High School
Fort Myers High School
The following Lee County students have been awarded the National Rural and Small Town Recognition Award:
Bonita Springs High School
- Alison O’Malley
- Emily Ott
Riverdale High School
- Ayden Balma
- Maya Johnston
- Luke Livingston
- Erica Milone
- Vivian Pan
- Lili Tran
- Kaicer Villalobos Di Rienzo
“We’re thrilled to celebrate our students and recognize them for the great work they’ve been doing,” said Chief Academic Officer Dr. Jeff Spiro. “We’re proud of their strong academic performance in the classroom and on College Board assessments. There’s so much that makes our students unique, and receiving this honor reinforces this as an asset for their future.”
Students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher and have excelled on the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10, or earned a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP Exams; and are African American or Black, Hispanic American or Latinx, Indigenous, and/or attend school in a rural area or small town are eligible for an award. Eligible students are invited to apply during their sophomore or junior year and recognitions are awarded at the beginning of the next school year. Students receive their awards in time to include them on their college and scholarship applications.
“It’s becoming increasingly hard for students to be ‘seen’ during the college recruitment process,” said Tarlin Ray, Senior Vice President at Big Future at College Board. “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.”