Florida students win top National Honor Society scholarship
Two high school senior from Hialeah and Sebring are two of 25 winners (chosen from over 16k applicants) of NHS’s top scholarships and are finalist to win the $25,000 award. Their bios and details about the scholarship are below, and you can look up the FL semifinalists and other winners here, searchable by city.
Jalia Charlery – Sebring Sr High School
Jalia Charlery is the captain of the varsity cheerleading team, president of student government, an AVID scholar and leadership team member, NHS member, a senior Superintendent Student Council member, NAACP member, secretary of the Junior Ambassador program at her local chamber, and a member of the Take Stock in Children Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters program. She is a stand out National African American Recognition recipient of College Board, a Champion for Children youth award finalist, and a Leaders 4 Life Fellowship finalist. She plans to pursue a career in dentistry, giving patients the knowledge, comfort, and love they deserve.
Maurits Acosta – Hialeah-Miami Lakes Sr High School
Maurits Acosta represents more than 350,000 students in America’s third-largest school district as the elected student advisor to the Miami-Dade County school board. Born in the Netherlands to Cuban parents, he moved to the United States in 2015 and has since dedicated himself to building the next generation of our country’s civic leaders. In 2022, he founded Virtutem Populo, Inc., a student-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting civic engagement and community involvement among youth in Florida. Through the organization, he has raised more than $50,000 for civic education and reached more than 3,000 students with impactful educational programs. In 2024, he was named a delegate to the United States Senate Youth Program and the National PTA Outstanding Youth Advocate of the Year. This spring he will graduate with his associate in arts degree from Miami-Date College. He plans to study government at Harvard University.
Chosen from over 16,000 applicants, the National Honor Society (NHS) is awarding $2 million in scholarships to 600 NHS students. The program is supported by NHS’s parent organization, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, which also administers the National Association of Student Councils.
The scholarships recognize students who exemplify the four pillars of NHS membership: scholarship, service, leadership and character. One national winner will receive $25,000 while four others will receive $10,625 for embodying each pillar at a gala on April 11. In addition, 20 finalists each earn $5,625 scholarships and 575 semifinalists receive $3,200 scholarships.
Find list of the 25 finalists and 575 semifinalists, searchable by city and state.
