11 Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) high school seniors are Scholarship winners | People

Gwinnett County, GA -- The National Merit Scholarship Corporation recently announced that 11 Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) high school seniors have been selected as 2011 National Achievement Scholarship winners. The National Achievement Scholarship Program provides a one-time $2,500 scholarship to outstanding Black American high school students, considered as having the strongest record of accomplishments and greatest potential for academic success in college.
The 2011 Gwinnett honorees are:
Berkmar High:
· Dina A. Hassan
probable career field: International Relations/Diplomatic Service
Brookwood High:
· Joel A. Owen
probable career field: Veterinary Medicine
· Dania A. Roach
probable career field: Biomedical Engineering
· Aida J. Syrkett
probable career field: Statistics/Information Technology
Dacula High:
· Patricia E. Ekpo
probable career field: International Non-profit Management
Grayson High:
· Brianna I. Edghill
probable career field: Non-profit Management
Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology:
· Wesley Mitchell
probable career field: Engineering
· Amarachi O. Nnakwe
probable career field: Pediatrics
Parkview High:
· Tiffany A. Agard
probable career field: International Relations
South Gwinnett High:
· Jamal B. Gaddis
probable career field: Biology
· Kadeem J. Yearwood
probable career field: Business Management
These 11 GCPS students join more than 700 outstanding Black American high school seniors across the nation who will receive scholarships totaling more than $2 million dollars as part of the annual National Achievement Scholarship competition, conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). About 100 Achievement Scholars are recipients of the corporate-sponsored Achievement Scholarship awards.
Corporate organizations generally provide awards for finalists who are children of their employees, residents of communities the company serves, or have plans to pursue majors or careers the grantor wishes to encourage.
Most of the awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and provide annual stipends that range from $500 to $10,000 per year. Some provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000.
The competition first began with results of the 2009 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT.) Last fall, semifinalists were designated within geographic regions based on the highest scores in the states that make up each region. They advanced to the finalist level in the competition by filling out a detailed application, presenting a record of high academic performance throughout high school, being endorsed and recommended by the school principal, writing an essay, and earning SAT scores that confirm the PSAT/NMSQT performance. Achievement Scholar honorees were selected from the finalists judged to have the strongest record of accomplishments.