Two Fontana Unified Students Invited to National Hispanic Recognition Program

Two Jurupa Hills High School juniors have been invited to participate in the 2018-19 National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) for their performance on the PSAT, placing them among the top 2.5 percent of Hispanic and Latino students in their 12-state region.

If selected, Angel Guerrero and Kaitlyn Dodgen would be among 5,000 Hispanic/Latino students to be named NHRP Scholars, chosen from a pool of 250,000 high school juniors.

“At first, I was surprised to receive the invitation, because I didn’t know programs like this existed,” Guerrero said. “It’s a huge honor to be recognized for my hard work, and to see what kind of opportunities this can lead to.”

Guerrero, a high-achieving scholar-athlete, hopes to pursue a degree in business or finance at UC Riverside or UC San Diego. He is involved in Jurupa Hills’ Advancement Via Individual Determination program, as well as campus service organizations like Key Club and National Honor Society.

Dodgen, a member of the varsity volleyball team, National Honor Society and Culture Club, hopes to attend Stanford University or Georgia Tech and major in math.

“I love the idea of studying math because it applies to just about any situation and career,” Dodgen said. “The possibilities for how I can use a math degree are endless.”

Dodgen and Guerrero are both International Baccalaureate students, serve as peer mentors in the school’s Link Crew program and will serve as junior honor attendants at this year’s graduation ceremony.

The NHRP was initiated in 1983 by the College Board to honor outstanding Hispanic/Latino high school students and identify them for colleges and universities.

To be eligible, students must be at least a quarter Hispanic or Latino, have taken the PSAT in October 2017 and have earned a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher by the middle of their junior year. Students must also achieve the minimum required PSAT Selection Index score, which varies by state, territory and region each year.

“Angel and Kaitlyn represent the caliber of Jurupa Hills High School and Fontana Unified as a whole,” Fontana Unified Superintendent Randal S. Bassett said. “We commend them for their dedication to academic excellence and congratulate them on their national recognition.”