Central seniors awarded national honors

By Ashley Luthans

Two Central High School students shared their gratitude after receiving recognition from a national program.

Charlie Horn was given the First Generation National Recognition Award, and Aaron McAllister received the Hispanic National Recognition Award. Both awards were handed down from the College Board National Recognition Program.

Horn, a senior, said he was happy to win the award, and he is very appreciative of his parents’ help and support.

“It’s really special ‘cause I know my parents have put in a lot of work and I just really appreciate all the sacrifices they made to have let me come this far,” Horn said.

Horn said that he plans on attending Benedictine College and majoring in architecture.

McAllister, also a senior, said he was surprised to have won the award but is very grateful.

“It means a lot because I didn’t think I would get anything from this, I was just recommended to apply for it,” McAllister said. “But it’s nice because colleges will be looking at that a lot and I hope that that will be very beneficial in the future.”

McAllister said that he does not have solidified plans for college just yet.

Sophomores and juniors in high school can be considered for these awards, with several requirements needing to be filled.

To qualify for the awards, students must have a GPA of 3.3 or higher and be in the top 10% among PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT test-takers in their state.

Students must also identify as Black/African American, Latino/Hispanic, Indigenous/Native or a first generation college student to be awarded the honors. Another qualifier is if students attend high school in a rural area or small town.

It is also required that students have a permanent address in the United States, a U.S. territory or military base, or attend DoDEA a school, although it is not required that students have U.S. citizenship.