Kate Olguin of West Hartford, a member of Conard’s class of 2016, achieved the honor based on her PSAT scores and GPA.

Kate Olguin. Photo credit: Kimberly Davis

Submitted by Kimberly Davis, Conard High School

Conard High School is proud to announce Kate Olguin, daughter of Elizabeth and Peter Olguin, as a scholar in The College Board’s National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP).

In order to qualify for this honor, a student must take the PSAT/NMSQT in October of junior year, be at least one-quarter Hispanic/Latino, achieve the minimum required score on the PSAT/NMSQT, and earn a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher by the middle of junior year.

While the NHRP is not a scholarship, Olguin may list this on her college applications. Institutions of higher learning use this program to identify academically exceptional Hispanic/Latino students and may offer significant merit scholarships.

Aside from being an outstanding student, Olguin is a musician who belongs to the Hermonics jazz choir, plays the cello, and has taken music composing classes at the Hartt School. Another passion of hers is community service. She has volunteered for a number of years at a soup kitchen through her church group and raises money for My Sister’s Place, a shelter in Hartford.

Olguin has aspirations to study game design after graduation. She enjoys the storytelling elements, but is also interested in the art and musical aspects. Her ideal college is on the smaller side, somewhere in New England or New York, with a program that allows a hands-on approach to game design.

Counselor Kristin Mangini says, “Kate’s a fantastic young woman who is academically focused and has had great success in all areas. Kate is not afraid to be her own person and takes pride in her convictions.” With a resume such as hers, Kate should have no trouble finding a college that suits her.