MIDLAND Holy Cross Catholic High School has its first National Hispanic Recognition Award winner — Raul Garcia.
The award comes through the College Board National Recognition program. Garcia, a 16-year-old junior, came to Holy Cross from St. John’s Episcopal School in Odessa.
The criteria for eligible students include:
- A GPA of 3.5 or higher.
- PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 assessment scores that are within the top 10% of assessment takers in each state for each award program or earned a score of 3 or higher on 2 or more AP Exams in 9th and 10th grade.
- Attend school in a rural area or small town, or identify as African American/Black, Hispanic American/Latino, or Indigenous/Native.
Eligible students are invited to apply on BigFuture during their sophomore or junior year and are awarded at the start of the next school year in time to share their achievements in high school as they plan for the future.
At the same time, colleges and organizations using College Board’s Student Search Service can connect directly with awardees during the recruitment process.
“We are very proud of Raul. He’s worked hard in the three years he’s been with us to gain as much knowledge as he can to be our top student. He shined on that test as a 10th grader. He’s a junior now, but that was a 10th grade test that he took that qualified him for this honor. We’re extremely proud of him for receiving the honor and for representing Holy Cross,” Head of School Carolyn Gonzales said.
He took the PSAT last year and she added that Garcia has put more pressure on himself to qualify this year.
“He’ll take the SAT this year, and so God willing, he’ll qualify for that National Merit Scholarship,” Gonzales said.
That’s his goal, she added.
“His classmates and the seniors are also excited because now that they see someone can do it. We’ll see how many more we have,” Gonzales said.
Holy Cross has 75 students this year, including 14 seniors. Garcia is in a class of nine as a junior. There are 26 sophomores and 26 freshmen, she said.
Garcia said he came to Holy Cross because he has ties there. His mother is the bookkeeper for the school, which is located at The Way Retreat Center in Midland.
“I was looking for where I believed I could get the best education that I could, and out of all the schools, I decided that Holy Cross had the education, especially with the dual credit courses that I could take that would allow me to propel my educational journey even farther than maybe otherwise possible,” Garcia said.
Holy Cross has dual credit agreements with Odessa College, Midland College and University of Texas Permian Basin.
Garcia is taking dual credit through Odessa College and is aiming for an associate degree in general studies with a STEM emphasis. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math. He’s choosing between the engineering or medical field, or a combination of both, currently.
He said he had no idea he would be recognized.
“I didn’t think that I could get recognized, nor that I would, so I was honored to receive that award,” Garcia added.
He said he didn’t do anything special to prepare for the PSAT. He studied when he could and used study guides that you can get from Barnes & Noble.
He has a little bit more time in school to study this year.
Asked if he was nervous about taking the SAT given that he was recognized the first time he took the PSAT, Garcia said he’s always enjoyed testing. He likes to see how he’s progressing and using the concepts that he’s learned.
“Yes, there’s pressure and I put pressure on myself. But at the same time it’s a very enjoyable, and I’d say fruitful experience for me. It allows me to have an enjoyable time but (it) also allows me to do my best in my educational attempts,” Garcia said.
Both St. John’s and Holy Cross have given him a lot of individualized attention which has let him progress faster.
Although he works hard, Garcia said likes to keep a balance.
“Yes, drive is important. Yes, studying is important. But you shouldn’t study to the point where you burn yourself out before you take the test because if you burn yourself out before you get to the goal, then it leaves you unmotivated. You’re not going to get the results that you want because you’ve burned yourself out,” Garcia said.
He advises his peers to study, but enjoy themselves and their lives at the same time by indulging in hobbies and spending time with family and friends.
“It’s also high school when you’re taking this, so enjoy life, enjoy high school,” Garcia said.
He added that students shouldn’t put too much pressure on themselves. He said he does that sometimes and it hinders your drive and even your energy levels.
Garcia said he’s a “musically invested” person.
“I’ve always found solace and serenity within the arts, mainly the musical arts and the fine arts. At the moment here at school … I’m a part of the choir here and I’m actually going to be competing regionals in about a month,” he added.
He also started playing guitar in elementary school and he’s a DJ for events. Garcia also is a member of the Student Council and National Honor Society.
Garcia said his experience at Holy Cross has been very enjoyable and he can tell the students and staff there are good people.
When he first arrived, he said he kept more to himself, but people were very welcoming.
“I believe that helps the environment here at Holy Cross. Students and staff are very kind natured and kindness orientated, so I believe that really helped bring this kind of community and overall vitality to the school,” Garcia said.
He added that it was an honor to receive the National Hispanic Recognition Award. He thanked everyone in his life who has helped him so far — family, friends and instructors — because he wouldn’t have been able to do it on his own.
“My parents have always driven me and they’ve given me the opportunity to excel in my educational journey, the most out of anyone. They’ve sacrificed a lot for me, and they’re really the ones who make sure that I can do what I want in life, and they’re kind of like my support in getting the education that I need, or I want, for what I’m going to do in life.”
“But I’d also have to thank my friends and my teachers, of course. Without my teachers, I wouldn’t have been able to learn anything,” Garcia said.
His friends have also been an essential source in helping him de-stress and encouraging him.
His teachers at St. John’s and Holy Cross have helped him gain the knowledge he has. He also is thankful to God for “being able to really understand and having the gifts that I’ve been given to excel in academics. … Ultimately, my goal in life is to help other people,” Garcia said.
Gonzales said Garcia also has taken on an office assistant elective.
“He is quite an amazing young man; very gifted; very humble. And he does all of our pep rallies. He’s the emcee for every pep rally, so he gets everybody hyped up and excited and crazy,” she added.
