For their dedication and motivation to push themselves to their full potential, about 34,000 students were named as commended students worldwide by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. In recognition of their exceptional talent and promise for academic achievement in college, these students received Letters of Commendation from NMSC through their high schools. Students at ACP were among those qualified to participate in the 2024 competition and are among the top 50,000 students who took the 2022 PSAT/NMSQT. Anuradha Anant, Eldrich Chang, Jimin Cheon, Reeyan Choudhury, William Deng, Leah Galloway, Santhosh Gopalakrishnan, Alessandra Jacobson, Shelby Johnson, Justin Kanner, Yewon Kim, Ian Kung, Kera Medhi, Isaac Mottern, Ria Nimbkar, Shruti Ragavan, Finnegan Roffler, Arnav Singh, Aden Smith, Alexis Stearns, Rithvik Uppala, Joshua Wan, and Nathan Zhou are the dedicated students who have received letters of commendation here at ACP. As they continue to excel academically long after they graduate from high school, this prestigious recognition will undoubtedly hold a significant influence on their educational opportunities.

I had the pleasure to interview one of the students who got a Letter of Commendation here at ACP, Kera Mehdi. Her reaction when she got her letter was that she “I was happy, and Mr. Bickes called us up to the front of the class to give us the letters.”  Kera’s role model throughout her academic career is Sr. Ruiz. She shared, “He has been my teacher for three years now, and he always has a story I have never heard before of him traveling the world or making a real impact on people’s lives. I hope one day I can contribute to society with the magnitude he has and live an adventurous life like him, too.” Kera attributes her success to her “parents; I am completely indebted to my parents for where I am academically. My dad would sit at the dining room table with me throughout elementary school. There is no way I would have the drive I do today without him or my mom.” I asked Kera where she thinks she will be in ten years, and she replied, “I will be 27, and I hope that I will have made it through medical school and become a doctor. I hope I have found my person and have traveled the world.”

Not only will this recognition from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation open these students to connections they did not have before, but it also brings the possibility of doing what was once considered impossible. Although our commended students will not be continuing in the National Merit Scholarship competition, a crucial aspect when it comes to our academic careers is dedication. Since each of us is motivated to achieve something with our lives, dedication is the significant word that sticks out. Anytime we commit, we focus only on our thoughts, deeds, and decisions. Our strength toward achieving our goals would only exist with our commitment. ACP’s commended students will face challenges as they pursue their academic goals, just like any other student. These distinguished students recognized for their hard work will be admired and emulated for their motivation to bring out their innermost potential, their commitment to giving all their time and effort into what they do, and their perseverance to continue despite difficulties or setbacks.  Our impressive, commended students here at ACP set a strong precedent for the ACP family to strive for the impossible and be extraordinary!