Meet the National Merit Semifinalists from Trivium Prep

Trivium Prep seniors Madelyn Ramirez and Javan Brown have been recognized as some of the highest scoring entrants of the PSAT, qualifying them for recognition in the National Merit Scholarship Program as a semifinalists of over 1.5 million entrants.

“I am interested in studying engineering at a university,” shared Ramirez. “I also really like biology and chemistry. I care a lot about animals and our environment.” Ramirez also loves dance and has been dancing since she was three. “I spend all my time outside of school competitively dancing and training pre professionally.” She offered some advice for other scholars when taking standardized tests. “It is best to not overthink anything. Answer the questions you know and just go back to the other ones later. Reviewing what you have learned from a while ago will also help too.”

Brown is considering attending Arizona State University’s Honor College, Barrett, in Tempe, Arizona to study business and finance. “Currently, I participate in varsity soccer, varsity golf, and high school mock trial here at Trivium Preparatory Academy. I also serve weekly at my local church, Cornerstone Christian Center, where I serve in facets of videography and play piano for our youth group,” he shared. “I also help at a local non-profit organization that helps the community of Cashion called the Mercy House.” In preparing for the PSAT, Brown would recommend using online resources like NoRedInk.com as well as Khan Academy’s standardized test reviews in order to help familiarize oneself with questions and materials commonly seen on these types of tests. “The more you continue to review, the easier and quicker your test-taking will become. When actually taking the test, make sure to not overthink your answer and go with your first instinct. Remember, time is everything, so do not spend too long on a single question, even if you feel you may be stuck.”

Both will be continuing on in the National Merit Scholarship competition with the chance to become a National Merit Finalists.

Senior Gavin Lopez received the National Hispanic Recognition. The National Hispanic Recognition Program recognizes outstanding Latino and Hispanic high school students. The NHRP is not a scholarship program, but it provides students with a certificate of recognition that can be shared with colleges or scholarship granting organizations. This is the oldest of College Board’s recognition programs. Lopez plans to study aerospace engineering. His hope is that he will gain admission into the US Air Force Academy to pursue this area of study. Lopez is an active member of the Mock Trial Team and participates in the Trivium Mentorship Program. His advice to juniors taking the PSAT is to take the test seriously. “It is called a practice SAT but it is very helpful when applying for colleges.”

Senior Sophia Alcaraz also received the National Hispanic Recognition as well as the First-Generation Recognition, the newest recognition, given for the first time this year. Alcaraz plans to study criminology and criminal justice at Barrett, The Honors College at ASU or Watts College. Sophia has been a 4-year member of Trivium’s active Mock Trial Team, as well as a member of the Honors Choir and Friday Night Dice after school enrichment course.  Her advice to juniors taking the PSAT is to take as many practice tests as possible.

Senior Ethan Pawlak received the National Indigenous Recognition. He plans to study engineering at NAU. He has been actively involved with the Musical Theatre Crew at Trivium.  In terms of preparing for the PSAT, he recommends that students study the math as he says, “You will forget it. The school curriculum has everything else covered. Study it.”

Senior Anthony Sief, who also received the First-Generation Recognition, plans to attend ASU in the fall.  With many varying interests, he is currently undecided for his college major. Sief has enjoyed having a classical education at Trivium and he said it has helped him round out his knowledge in all areas of life.

“It is a realistic goal for many Great Hearts juniors across our 13 prep academies to score in the top 1% of test takers in the state of Arizona during the October testing window each year,” said Great Hearts Director of College Counseling, Roslyn Fletcher. “We expose our high school students to the PSAT early by administering the official PSAT to all our 10th grade students across the Great Hearts network. National Merit Finalists often qualify for merit scholarships that can cover partial tuition up to full cost of attendance at select institutions across the country.”

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