January 29th, 2020 – 3:50 PM
Rome City Schools –
Three Rome High School students have been selected to move on to the semifinals in this year’s Governor’s Honors Program competition.
Abigail Huggins (Communicative Arts), Thu Truong (Chemistry) and Alayna Weber (Writing) will be attending the state level interviews and auditions, which is the next step in this in-depth application process.
These interviews will take place at Berry College, and students will interview with college professors and other professionals who will work with the students eventually named as winners of the Governor’s Honors Program.
The Georgia Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) is a residential summer program for gifted and talented high school students who will be rising juniors and seniors during the program. Winners will attend a conference where they work with other students in their area of study and learn from adults who are working in the field.
Rome High School counselor and district coordinator for the Governor’s Honors Program, Melody Burse, was very excited to reveal the students who have reached the semifinals in this year’s Governor’s Honors competition.
“I am very proud of Abigail, Thu and Alayna, as well as all of the students who were nominated for this program because they are all very academically enriched,” said Burse. “These students are some of the top students that we have here at Rome High, and are the ones who have a true passion for learning. And that is what GHP is looking for, is students who are very interested in these specific areas they have chosen.
“GHP is a very enriching opportunity for our students. I truly enjoy working with these students—it brings joy to my heart to watch them excel. It’s so rewarding,” smiled Burse. Huggins was very excited to hear that she was chosen to compete at the semifinalist level. “I am extremely honored, and I cannot believe I have made it this far. I truly love all things English and Literature; I get giddy when I think about how much I love communicative arts,” said Huggins.
Truong was nominated for Science, and from the three different areas of focus, she chose to concentrate on Chemistry. “I am currently taking AP Chemistry, and I am really enjoying it. I love getting to participate in the experiments and everything,” explained Truong.
“This process has been very rigorous. I get very nervous with each step, but I am so grateful for making it this far. If I am chosen as a finalist, I will be very honored to represent Rome High School. I am most excited about the opportunity to meet new people and gain valuable experiences.”
Weber was chosen as a semifinalist in Communicative Arts, and she chose to focus on writing. “I have always been into reading,” said Weber. “There was a point where I was reading the Warriors series by Erin Hunter and I was like, ‘I want to create something this.’ That is when I started writing my own stuff.”
She continued, “The first initial application was very tough because I had never done anything like that it before. But I do feel like I am better prepared for things like college applications, so I am grateful for this experience.”