Divine Savior Academy is proud to announce that senior Christian Rodriguez is a National Merit Scholar Finalist. This announcement was made Friday, February 20th after DSA’s weekly chapel service with a presentation of a plaque and framed award.
Christian Rodriguez was one of two semifinalists in the City of Doral, and his advancement to the finalist status is a prestigious distinction. Only about 9,000 students in the United States are chosen as finalists from a pool of more than 2 million candidates each year.
Rodriguez advanced from semifinalist to finalist by completing several requirements: maintaining a very high academic record, writing an essay, and earning a high score on the SAT. From the pool of 9,000 finalists about 8,000 are chosen to receive a National Merit Scholarship.
“We’re incredibly proud of Christian. He has been at Divine Savior Academy since the 5th grade. Throughout these years, Christian has been an exemplary student both in the classroom and in the community. He is our second National Merit Scholar Finalist in two years and has been an excellent representative of DSA and the community of Doral,” comments Principal Ben Troge.
Rodriguez credited his school for the distinction. He remarked, “Divine Savior Academy helped me succeed through a challenging curriculum by caring teachers and by offering me the flexibility to take classes through the Florida Virtual School and Florida International University, all of which prepared me well for college.”
Divine Savior Academy is the only private Christian academy in the city of Doral, Florida. The Academy has over 600 students enrolled in Pre-K3 through twelfth grade. The school is currently constructing a new high school building on campus, as well as a soccer field, four tennis courts, a gymnasium, and an expanded playground. The expansion will open for the 2015-2016 school year.
Beyond the classroom, Christian has been involved in National Honor Society, Student Council, and the chess team and has earned a place on DSA’s varsity basketball and tennis teams. He will graduate this May and has his sights set on Cornell, Princeton, or MIT.
“I want to go to a prestigious and academically-challenging college or university and major in Computer Science or Computer Engineering. With this preparation, I hope to enter the tech business and hopefully create my own company. Ultimately, I want to help the world through service and innovation.” Rodriguez states.
For more information about the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, please visit http://www.nationalmerit.org. And for more information about Divine Savior Academy, contact the school office at (305) 597-4545 or visit the DSA website at divinesavioracademy.com.
