By senior Mark Alvarez, National Honor Society Executive Aide

Peyton Fine ’13 recently received the National Honor Society Regional Scholarship, awarded annually by the NHS Scholarship Program. This scholarship is given to those seniors who have been nominated by their NHS chapter to be considered for the award. In order to compete for the scholarship, the nominees must answer a series of essay and short answer questions, as well as submit a résumé of their co-curricular activities during their high school career.

In order to be considered for the NHS National Scholarship, a nominee must progress through a series of hoops, each one more difficult than the last. In 2013, Peyton was one of over four thousand nominees nationwide. He then moved into the state finalist competition, in which he was chosen as one of only three finalists from Louisiana. The NHS selection committee then reviews the applications and résumés of all the state finalists to determine the regional winners.

I recently had the opportunity to ask Peyton a few questions about his scholarship:

Mark Alvarez: “How do you feel to have been awarded this scholarship?”

Peyton Fine ’13: “I think it’s an honor just to have been nominated. I am also excited and happy to know that all that I accomplished in my high school career didn’t go unnoticed.”

MA: “Was anyone else from Jesuit nominated for this scholarship?

PF: “Yes, I was one of the four nominees from Jesuit. The other three were Ian Rohr (’13), Ben Guerra (’13), and Brad Powers (’13).”

MA: “How competitive was the field of nominees?”

PF: “All the nominees were extremely competitive. Since each school can only nominate so many people, I was going up against the top students from schools across the state and across the nation.”

MA: “In your opinion, was the time and effort you put into this scholarship well worth it?”

PF: “Definitely take the position if you’re nominated. The writing portion of the application is not as difficult as it may seem, especially when you compare it to other college application essays. If you can complete a college application, you can manage the workload this scholarship poses.”

MA: “Finally, do you have any advice as this next class of Blue Jays begins their college search?”

PF: “Work really hard regardless of whether you’re a sophomore, junior, or senior because competitive scholarships like this one look at your high school career as a whole, and not just your junior or senior year.”