Senior gets national recognition

St. Amant High School senior Hakeem Brooks was one of the 1,600 black students named as a semifinalist in the 2013 National Achievement Scholarship Program, a release from the school said.

The program was established in 1964 to honor scholastically talented black high school students. The program is conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a not-for-profit organization.

Approximately 1.5 million students take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test in the fall of their junior year, the release said.

The 1,600 highest-scoring participants are designated semifinalists.

Brooks was one of the 57 scholars qualifying for this honor in Louisiana.

To be considered for National Achievement Scholarships, semifinalists must have a record of consistently high academic performance in ninth through 12th grades; earn SAT scores that confirm PSAT performance; and be endorsed by the high school principal, the release states.

Brooks has a 4.5 grade-point average. He is a four-year member of the football and track and field teams, the Beta Club and Gator-to-Gator mentor group.

He is enrolled in the Allied Health Academy and would like to pursue a career in the medical field. Brooks is the son of Sabrina and Michael Brooks.