By Olivia Svoboda

Editor-in-Chief

Four South students have been recognized for their achievements on the PSAT and AP tests by the National Merit Program. Two students, senior Julieta Araiza-Alvarez and junior Andrew Culbertson, are in the National Merit Hispanic Recognition program. There are also two students in the National Merit African American Recognition program: junior Anotida Mafuvadze and senior Steven Richberg. These students scored within the top 20% of their respective categories. Araiza-Alvarez, Mafuvadze, and Richberg qualified with their PSAT scores, while Culbertson qualified with his AP test scores. 

College Board offers national recognition programs to students in four different categories: African American, Hispanic, Indigenous and Rural and Small Town. To qualify for these programs, students must take the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, or AP exams. 

How did you prepare for the PSAT/AP tests? 

Araiza-Alvarez: I used the study materials that they gave us for it at school. It was a packet that they gave to each student, and I just went through mostly the math and English sections, just so I would be ready for all that. I also looked online for study tips. 

Culbertson: Just studying. Teachers give out a lot of good study resources like packets and study books. 

Mafuvadze: I bought one of the Barron textbooks, and after school I’d go through practice tests and drills. [I] also hired a tutor to help me with concepts I didn’t know. 

Richberg: I took it my sophomore year, so I could have an estimate of how the test was. Then [in] my junior year I went [to] the PSAT workshop and made sure to ask questions. I also took the materials I got from the workshop and finished them all to make sure I was comfortable with everything on the test.

Do you have any suggestions for students taking the PSAT in the future? 

Araiza-Alvarez: I would recommend taking it your sophomore and junior year. I didn’t get to take it [in] my sophomore year because I was quarantined, but if you can take it multiple times, that will probably help you, kind of similar to the ACT. 

Mafuvadze: I would say just study and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you don’t know things and just to make sure you keep yourself accountable. 

Richberg: Practice and study, but don’t just study everything all at once; start more general with just sections of the test, then delve into the section to see what you struggle with. For me, the math section troubled me, because it kept on including math from courses I’ve never taken, but with the help from my then precalculus teacher, Mrs. Barnett, I felt confident with math.

How do you plan to use this opportunity? 

Araiza-Alvarez: I’ve definitely been putting in a lot of my college applications and I feel it’s going to help me get a lot of scholarships. 

Culbertson: Help me get into good colleges. 

Mafuvadze: Hopefully I can put it on Common App for colleges, like some of the west coast schools that value the PSAT. 

Richberg: College is where I’ve always wanted to go, but it is very expensive! With this opportunity my scholarship opportunities have increased exponentially. Plus, applying to minority scholarships and letting them know you are a National Merit African American Scholar makes the application look nice.

Do you have any colleges in mind? 

Araiza-Alvarez: Mizzou, KU, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and UMKC. 

Culbertson: MIT, University of Washington, University of Berkeley, University of Carnegie Mellon. 

Mafuvadze: Any college that’s in a place that’s sunny, maybe one of the UCs – California schools.

What do you plan to do after high school? 

Araiza-Alvarez: I want to double major in psychology and Spanish and hopefully become a bilingual therapist. 

Culbertson: Computer science. 

Mafuvadze: Probably just go to college, maybe go to law school afterwards [and] work in government. 

Richberg: I have been accepted into the Mizzou Chemistry department in their Bachelor of Sciences program. I also plan to have a Spanish minor and am going to apply to medical school after I graduate college.