Henrique Arantes received a $40,000 scholarship from UT; $10,000 for each year of college. The Scholarship and membership to the Honors College is a recognition of students who have shown academic success and leadership both in and outside of school.
“Henrique has been accepted into the honors program at UT Tyler,” Counselor Tamika Collard said. “This means he gets to take some specialized classes, internships, and other opportunities that most students will not have access to.”
To apply for the scholarship, students must have at least a 3.75 unweighted GPA, a SAT score of 1350 or higher, or a 29 ACT score or higher. Many other aspects go towards the honors application process such as essays, interviews, and face-to-face meetings with the school board.
“I would say that I got the scholarship because of all of the hard work I put in every day,” Arantes said. “If it wasn’t for my dedication, I don’t think I would have received it or even been considered.”
Out of the 200 students nationwide who applied, only 20 received the scholarship. Grades are not the only aspect considered when deciding who receives this honor, it is also based on character.
“I am extremely excited for Henrique,” Collard said. “He is a very well-deserving student. Someone described it very well, ‘He’s a very genuine person with so much intellectual ability.’ More importantly, though, his character and his kindness to others stand out above all else.”
Henrique has been involved in a multitude of clubs and organizations throughout his high school career. He has also always participated in honors and higher-level classes to help boost him above his peers.
“Right now I’m in NHS, Key Club, Chick-fil-A leadership Academy, Texas Bank and Trust student board, a student ladder at Green Acers baptist church, and I fly planes,” Arantes said. “I also participated in newspaper, UIL journalism, and band. This year I’m in the certified medical assistant class, TJC English, AP Calculus, and AP Physics 1. I have also taken other TJC and AP classes throughout high school.”
After high school, Henrique plans to follow a medically inclined path throughout college. The scholarship will provide him with advantages financially and academically.
‘“After high school, I wish to study either biology or biochemistry at UT Tyler and then apply to medical school to become an internal medicine physician and later specialize in a field within internal medicine,” Arantes said. “Thanks to the scholarship, I really won’t have to worry about money at all because almost everything is paid for. I do think that it will give me an advantage because I also get to be a part of the honors college which will help me in research and other aspects.”
Henrique offered some words of advice to those who wish to follow the same path as him.
“For those that want to have an honor like this, I would say give everything you got,” Arantes said. “Life is too short for us to waste time on other things instead of the goals that we truly wish to accomplish. Most importantly, everything we do now pays off in the end.”
