Denton High has been known by many to have great pride in intellectuality from students. Ranging from spelling bee winners, to now National Merit finalists, the academic awards and scholarships usually flow in.
Schools all across the country are awarding students for their academic excellence, and senior Thomas Gumienny was selected as a finalist for the National Merit scholarship award. Along with Thomas, senior Jack Algood was selected for a smaller but significant award for scholarship.
“I actually didn’t know what the National Merit program was,” Gumienny said. “I just did as good as I could on the PSAT and got an email about the National Merit Scholarship a year after I took it.”
Being a finalist for the National Merit award is very limited and a big deal for schools across the country. Only a few thousand from all United States schools get selected, and upwards to $35 million go to scholarships.
“Being a National Merit Finalist will strengthen my resume for both colleges and jobs,” Gumienny said. “It also got me a rather nice scholarship from A&M. They do have a great engineering program, and my parents were also Aggies, so I am planning on going there.”
There is always a ton of pressure being in the higher classes in high school, but having good preparation and academic skills can really help your case for being a National Merit student.
“Pay attention to every subject in a course,” Gumienny said. “The PSAT has a habit of bringing them up.”
Not many students who go to Denton High live outside of Denton and are eligible for this award, but since Jack Algood lives in Pilot Point, he was eligible and honored for the College Board “Rural and Small town scholar” award for having excellent PSAT scores.
“Once they notified me that I qualified,” Algood said,
“All I had to do was submit the application, and all of the hard work really paid off. I was very honored to get that type of recognition.”
Determination and effort is what Jack advises for students wanting to get more involved and receive opportunities for college credit and scholarships.
“My advice to students seeking an award from the College Board,” Algood said, “is to take time to research the many awards they offer and see which ones fit you. If you’re a student with the motivation and work ethic to study hard and score well on the PSAT or SAT, there’s no limit on how many scholarships and recognitions you’ll get. It all depends on how much effort you put into it.”
