Two Cape Central students excel in PSAT, earn national recognition

Two Cape Central High School students were recently recognized in the top 3.8% of the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) scorers nationwide.

Seniors Caitlin Hill and Luca Sosa were named Commended Students, a designation reserved for approximately 34,000 of the test's high scorers, by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. (NMSC). According to the NMSC website, Commended Students are selected "on the basis of a nationally applied Selection Index qualifying score that may vary from year to year." Approximately 1.3 million students were entered into the competition.

As Commended Students, Hill and Sosa were honored with Letters of Commendation from NMSC. While Commended Students don't continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships, some can be candidates for other scholarships offered by corporate sponsors.

Hill, who is originally from Oklahoma but moved to Cape Girardeau with her family when she was 3 years old, serves as the president of the Theater Troupe and will perform in the school's upcoming production of "Miss Holmes" — which tells the story of Sherlock Holmes but the main characters are played by women instead of men. She is also a member of the National Honors Society and Beta Club, plays clarinet in the marching band and her art — titled "America's Future" — will be featured on the fall cover of Show Me Art Magazine.

Hill plans to attend a four-year university for art or creative writing, as she has ambitions of becoming an author. Currently, Truman State University in Kirksville is her top option, but she has not decided where she wants to go to school

"Truman State University is probably the most selective public university," said Hill, who wants to stay in Missouri for her college education. "It's public, so it's not super selective, but they probably have an average ACT of like, 25 or 28. But I'm also applying to Washington University, and their average ACT score is, like a 32. It's kind of insane."

Originally from Argentina, Sosa moved to Cape Girardeau with his family "roughly five years ago." He is the president of Cape Central's Dungeons and Dragons Club, is a certified ServSafe Food Handler and will receive ServSafe Manager Certification by the end of the year.

Sosa hopes to open a restaurant after graduating from college with a management or business degree.

"I'm mostly just aiming for something I can get in with either zero or minimum debt," Sosa said.

Each Cape Central student takes the PSAT their sophomore year and can retake it. Hill took the test twice, scoring a 1290 the first time and finishing with a 1400 after her second attempt. Sosa took the test just once, receiving a 1380.

Hill said she struggled with the math portion of the test, citing her affinity for reading and writing, while Sosa said he experienced the opposite.

"I did very well in the math section," he said, "and the worst part in my entire English section was standards and conventions."

Roughly 50,000 students were recognized as Commended Students and semifinalists. Of the 16,000 semifinalists, approximately 15,000 will become finalists after completing some additional requirements. Students are chosen based on the PSAT/NMSQT Selection Index which is calculated by doubling their reading and writing score, adding their math score and dividing the total by 10.

Both Hill and Sosa offered advice to students who will take or plan to take the PSAT in the future.

"On the day of the test, I would say eat breakfast and charge your Chromebook," Hill said. "But, also, I would say that in the grand scheme of things, you want to do well but it doesn't really matter, so don't stress out about it, and just do your best."

"You can take the test multiple times, so there's no need to stress out about this one," Sosa said. "Just keep on taking it if you don't get a score that you're happy with. Also, make sure that you grab a calculator that you're familiar with. ... Sometimes it matters more to just refresh yourself on old concepts, rather than trying to learn new stuff, and make sure that you remember basic algebra."