The College Board has named Sofia Theodore ’24 a recipient of the National African American Recognition Award and the National Hispanic Recognition Award for her outstanding academic accomplishments in high school and on College Board assessments. She is among the 62,000 students from across the country who received academic honors from at least one of the organization’s four recognition programs in August 2022.
In addition to granting academic honors that can be included in college and scholarship applications, the College Board National Recognition Programs create a pathway to higher education for academically competitive underrepresented students by meaningfully connecting them to colleges and universities across the country through Student Search Service. This College Board service allows institutions to identify awardees and conduct intentional, tailored outreach to them based on their Recognition Program award.
More than 180,000 students from all 50 states were eligible to apply. Students must have 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. They must also identify as African American or Black, Hispanic American or Latinx, Indigenous, and/or attend high school in a rural area or small town.
The College Board initially launched the National Hispanic Recognition Program 38 years ago to increase access to higher education for academically competitive Latino students. Research showed that awarded students who also opted into Student Search Service had improved college enrollment and received additional funding. The first program’s success led College Board to expand the Recognition Programs in 2019 to include African American Recognition, Indigenous Recognition, and Rural/Small Town Recognition.
Congratulations, Sofia, on this wonderful honor!