Mount Vernon Star Scholars Head To Prestigious Colleges

From the Mount Vernon school district

Class of 2019 Mount Vernon Star Scholars are headed to prestigious universities in the Northeast, including one Ivy League school. Of the five students, three are graduating from The Mount Vernon High School (MVHS) and two from Nellie A. Thornton High School.

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Mount Vernon Star Scholars is a program that assists a select group of academically-talented students from Mount Vernon’s high schools gain admission to selective colleges and universities in the U.S. The star scholars receive valuable one-on-one guidance from a volunteer mentor.

The District is proud to announce the future plans of the Class of 2019 Mount Vernon Star Scholars:

Dontae Eva-Marie Richards is graduating from MVHS and will attend the University of Connecticut.

“I am an undeclared major, but I am most excited to meet new people,” said Richards. “As a first-generation college student, I am ready to prepare for my future career."

Victoria Gomez-Small is graduating from MVHS and will attend Northeastern University in Boston.

“I am most excited about participating in Northeastern’s co-op program to gain work experience in the field of computer science," Gomez-Small said.

Juan Franco is graduating from Thornton High School and will attend Binghamton University.

“I plan to study engineering and computer science and look forward to living on my own," shared Franco.

Andre Meddar, Jr. is graduating from Thornton High School and will attend Columbia University.

“I will major in mechanical engineering and am most excited to experience the New York City feel," Meddar beamed.

Alondra Vera is graduating from MVHS and will attend New York University.

“I am currently an undeclared engineer, and I look forward to taking advantage of all the opportunities available," Vera shared.

“I couldn’t be more proud of all the hard work these students put in these past two years,” said Darcy Miller, Star Scholars Mentor and Board of Education Trustee. “They took full advantage of the guidance provided by their mentors who were with them every step of the way and now they’re headed to their dream schools!”

The Star Scholars program is open to all students enrolled in one of the Mount Vernon high schools who maintain a weighted-average GPA of 85 or better. Scholars are chosen in the summer between their sophomore and junior year based primarily on their academic achievement in their first two years of high school and their commitment to continuing their education at the undergraduate level upon graduation from high school. While the designation is not specifically need-based, a student’s challenges in attending a top-tier institution of higher learning, including financial challenges, are factored into the selection process.

MVSS alumni have graduated from Harvard, U Conn, Denison, and Case Western; and can now be found on the campuses of Boston University, Carnegie Mellon, RIT, SUNY Buffalo, Ithaca College, Lehigh, and Fordham.