A student has received national recognition in biology and microbiology.
Courtney Amegashie, of Bolingbrook, recently received a silver medal in the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO), a nationwide achievement program administered by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Every national medalist receives between $1,000 to $2,000 and an iPad.
Amegashie was one of 12 students sent to the national ACT-SO Olympics from DuPage County. More than 100 students from 28 area high schools participate in the DuPage County ACT-SO chapter.
“ACT-SO is designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic, as well as cultural,achievement among African-American youth grades 9-12,” said Dorletta Payton, DuPage County ACT-SO chair.
As part of the program, students must first participate in monthly enrichment sessions, which run from September through February, featuring leadership development, mentoring, and collegereadiness activities. Next, students compete in local ACT-SO competitions and gold medalists from that event earn the opportunity to represent their chapter at the national level.
Students present projects or performances in 26 categories of competition, including the sciences, humanities, business, as well as performing and visual arts.
Amegashie will attend Washington University in St. Louis in the fall.
