Every year, sophomores and juniors across the state compete in a months-long application process for a spot Georgia’s Governor’s Honors Program, which the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement calls the “premier summer honors program for Georgia’s best and brightest high school students” For a few of these students, the rigorous and demanding application process begins at St. Pius X in the fall and will hopefully end at Berry College this summer.

Students are initially nominated by their teachers to apply for academic disciplines or “majors” such as Spanish, Social Studies, Communicative Arts, Dance, and Math. A committee of teachers interview nominees at the departmental and school-wide level, whittling down the applicant pool to ten.

The application takes a lot of time and with many levels to pass through. Junior Latin semifinalist Leah Kesler understandably found it “a waiting game for the most part.”

Junior Visual Arts semifinalist Laney Polvino said the application process has demanded not just her patience and artistic talent, but public speaking and writing skills as well.

“Mrs. Brannon helped me to perform mock questions, so I could prepare myself,” she said. “I tried to just be authentic and me. It’s harder than it sounds. The online application was also really stressful. Not only did I have to film a video, but I also had to write an essay and several paragraphs about my motivations. It was really stressful.”

Junior Communicative Arts semifinalist Sylvie Buckalew sympathized, saying the application was “admittedly very stressful, but the reminder that merely being nominated was an honor in itself provided much-needed solace.”

Before even applying to college, this experience has challenged these students to reflect on their skills and market themselves.

“The GHP application for me was stressful but a very beneficial experience. It helped me realize my strengths, weaknesses, and even prepared me for how the college application will be like,” junior French semifinalist Margherita Ceccagnoli explained.

However, with months still in front of them, these semifinalists are far from done with preparation. Buckalew expects to “answer some general questions about communicative arts, analyze various pieces of literature, and possibly write something on the spot” at her state interview, whereas Ceccagnoli expects that her “state interview will consist of an individual interview, which will also include oral language picture prompts and a writing sample.”

For students passionate about their subject, their performance at state represents not just the culmination of years of practice, but also the opportunity to become even better and learn even more at Berry College.

Kesler said the program speaks to her because of her love of learning, saying “I really enjoy learning in general so being able to participate in a program where I can learn without as much pressure about grades and homework is very appealing.”

Buckalew agreed. “I think the most beautiful thing in the world is the opportunity to do what you love, and I love to read, to learn and to write, which is exactly what GHP would offer me,” she said.

Ceccagnoli loves her subject as well and is hoping to be selected for GHP because it would provide her with an intense study of the French language.  

“I want to go to GHP because it is an amazing opportunity to go more in-depth into the French language and work with students who are as passionate about French as I am, while at the same time greatly expanding my knowledge of the grammar, culture, and history,” Ceccagnoli said.

The semifinalists will attend statewide interviews at Berry College on February 23, and finalists will be notified of their acceptance on March 29. The official program will run June 16-July 13