A Riverhead High School senior’s test scores and GPA have earned him a national award from the College Board.
Roy Vasquez, the son of Roy and Penny Vasquez of Calverton, scored in the top two and a half percent among Hispanic and Latino PSAT/NMSQT test-takers in our region. He was then invited by the College Board to apply for recognition as a National Hispanic Scholar.
He met all the College Board’s extensive follow-up requirements and was awarded the honor of being named a “National Hispanic Scholar.”
The tests are part of the SAT suite of tests that “measure what you learn in high school [and] what you need to succeed in college,” according to the test website. Each year, as juniors in high school, about 250,000 Hispanic students take the test and about 5,000 are recognized as honorees the following September.
As the College Board noted, “This prestigious recognition enables Roy to highlight this outstanding educational achievement to top colleges and universities.”
Roy’s high school guidance counselor, Christy Salerno, shared the College Board’s sentiment. “Roy is an extraordinary student from a wonderful family. He is involved in the school as well as in the community. I am so happy Roy was selected,” she said, noting enthusiastically that “this recognition is quite an accomplishment!”
Roy is a well-rounded student. He excels in academics – he was an AP Scholar in 2015 and hopes to add “with distinction” to that title this year. He also participates in many school clubs and activities. He is president of the National Honor Society and is a member of the National Foreign Language Honor Society (Latin). He was team captain for the Latin high school Level IV Advanced B team that competed in, and won, at the 2016 Latin Certamen. He maintains a weighted GPA of 103. Roy is also active in the Blue Masques Drama Club and sings in the Chamber Choir.
Roy plans to major in physics in college. He is currently taking the new principles of engineering class at the high school to, as he says, “get a little taste of engineering.”
Source: Press release issued by Riverhead Central School District dated September 12, 2016.
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