203 United ISD Students Earn Prestigious College Board Honors

The spotlight is shining on 203 United ISD high school students who have secured the highly coveted 2024-25 National Recognition Program award from the College Board. This prestigious accolade celebrates academically outstanding students who break barriers, redefine success, and inspire future generations.

The Elite Circle: Who Made the Cut?

The College Board’s National Recognition Program identifies high-achieving Hispanic/Latino, African American/Black, Indigenous, first-generation, and rural/small-town students who have excelled academically. But getting into this elite group isn’t a walk in the park. To qualify, students had to demonstrate exceptional performance in standardized assessments and maintain a high GPA.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Juniors: Must score in the top 10% on the PSAT 10 or PSAT/NMSQT in their state OR earn a 3+ on at least two AP exams by 10th grade.
• Sophomores: Must meet the same assessment standards as juniors but with AP exams completed by 9th grade.
• GPA Requirement: A solid 3.3 or higher (87-89% or more).
• Program Criteria: Open to students who identify as African American, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous, First-Generation, or attend rural/small-town schools.

A Legacy of Academic Brilliance

This marks the fifth year of the National Recognition Programs, an initiative designed to combat systemic barriers to higher education for underrepresented students. The College Board launched this effort 40 years ago with the National Hispanic Recognition Program, which later expanded in 2019 to include additional minority and rural student groups.

This year alone, over 90,000 students nationwide earned this honor, but only 203 from United ISD managed to join this elite rank. These students now hold a competitive edge for college admissions and scholarships, as universities actively scout awardees through the College Board’s Student Search Service—a platform that connects students with scholarship opportunities and exclusive recruitment events.

What’s Next for These Scholars?

Awardees are now in the direct line of sight for top-tier colleges. By opting into Student Search, they will receive personalized outreach from universities and scholarship programs eager to welcome these bright minds into their fold. More than just an accolade, this recognition is a golden ticket to unparalleled academic opportunities.

The Debate: A Step Forward or Just Another List?

While the recognition is undoubtedly prestigious, some critics argue that the program doesn’t go far enough in ensuring actual scholarships or admissions advantages. Others question whether such awards truly help minority and rural students in overcoming systemic educational barriers. Are these honors merely decorative titles, or do they hold real power in leveling the playing field? One thing is certain—this conversation is just beginning.

Full List of United ISD Honorees

Alexander High School (81)

Diego Armenta, Natalia Arreazola, Christopher Brown, Marisa Buenrostro, Sofia Buitron, Ameli Cantu, Carolina Cantu, Mia Castaneda, Maura Castellanos, Catelyn Castro, Andrea Cazares, Santiago Chapa, Miranda Chavez, Katia Cisneros, Jacqueline Costilla, Alejandro Cruz, Gustavo Cuellar, Angelina Cuevas, Gabrielle Del Angel, Sophia Duarte, Alexa Equihua, Isabella Flores, Alejandro Galvan, Tabatta Garcia, Cordelia Garcia, Emilio Garcia, Fernanda Garza, Johan Gonzalez, Nerissa Gonzalez, Ofelia Gonzalez, Regina Gonzalez-Parra, Regina Gutierrez-Verboonen, Angela Guzman, Kevin Hinojosa, Arad Inurreta, Alan Jackson, Emily Jolomna, Chloe Kim, Alexandra Leal, Wei Liang, Stephanie Lozano, Jesus Marina, Robert Martinez, Maria Martinez, Mauricio Martinez, Ximena Martinez, Valeria Minarro, Ashley Nieto, Arthur Nolen, Oded Oviedo-Villarreal, Alondra Paez, Victor Pescador, Judith Puig, Anastasia Quach, Isabella Ramirez, Vivian Ramirez, Juan Ramirez, Destiny Rodriguez, Bianca Salazar, Dylan Salinas, Alejandra Samano, Alexia Sanchez, Nicolas Sanchez, Niurka Sandoval, Julieta Santoyo, Briseis Sauceda, Larissa Silva Brandao, Hailey Solano, Ivanya Soto, Emiliano Torres, Mia Trevino, Alejandro Valdez, Jacqueline Varela, Paloma Vazquez, Sergio Vela, Saul Vielma, Arturo Villarreal, Charles Yelderman, Christina Zertuche, Alina Zhou, Mateo Zuniga.

L.B. Johnson High School (13)

Andrea Benavides, Samuel Charles, Jamie Coss, Alejandro Diaz, Valeria Fierro, Carlos Mendoza, Jessenia Mota, Osvaldo Pedroza, Adriana Perez, Mareva Reyna, Fiorella Samaniego, Rolando Vitela, Abdiel Zapata.

United High School (84)

Alexandra Acevedo, Athena Aguilera, Delilah Aguirre, Andrea Alcaraz, Jonathan Alviar, Erika Avila, Samantha Baker, Diego Barbarena, Lucy Batey, Ian Batres, Julian Benavides, Derrick Caballero, Emmanuel Caracheo, Leticia Cardenas, Sophia Castaneda, Nicolas Castellanos-Brito, Jena Castillo, Ashley Castillo, Miguel Castillo, Fabiola Cavazos, Karina Ceballos, Keira Cedillo, Gabriela Colon, Eliborio Cortez, Olivia Costabella, Henry Dang, Bobbi Daniels, Isabella De La Garza, Sayuri Duron, Mariam Ezquivel, Mario Flores, Domingo Flores, Abygail Galindo, Aylin Garcia, Andrew Garza, Rodrigo Garza, Damian Garza, Jorge Gomez, Marcus Gonzalez, Emiliano Gonzalez, Gabriel Gonzalez, Carolina Gonzalez-Ayala, Victor Guerra, Angela Gutierrez, Martin Hearn, Alejandro Hernandez-Espinoza, Samuel Holloway, Jennifer Jimenez, Rolando Jimenez, Landon Johnson, Kendrah Johnson, Alyssa Lara, Vania Lopez, Diego Lopez, Izabella Mancilla, Carlos Martinez, Mia Mendez, Monique Molina, Armani Molina, Ethan Morales, Kassandra Needham, Erick Ordonez, Gustavo Ornelas, Mariana Ortiz, Luis Perez, Arely Ramirez, Jose Ramirez, Andre Ramos, Frida Ramos, Kristian Ramos-Rodriguez, Victoria Riojas, Jadin Rodriguez, Amanda Rosas, Sofia Sandoval, Sophia Sepesi, Jayden Sosa, Alyza Trevino, Isaac Valladares, Valeria Vargas, Sofia Vargas, Kris Vazquez, Rolando Vela, Regina Vera, Victoria Villarreal.

United South High School (25)

Mia Alvarez, Gianna Alvarez, Lexis Arguello, Edgar Armenta, Leonardo Bahena, Alejandra Cadena, Alejandro Escobar, Mauro Esparza, Jacob Gueta, Jose Lazcano, Camila Martinez, Gadiel Moreno, Luis Penaloza, Sophia Plezia, Leslie Rodriguez, Luis Rodriguez, Matthew Rojas, Ivanna Romo, Andrew Romo, Kimberly Sanchez, Sofia Sierra, Melanie Solis Martinez, Nicholas Tays, Emily Ugartechea, Gabriel Verastegui.