Gurganious recognized by National Merit Scholarship Corporation

MADISON – Alexis Gurganious has earned recognition as “Outstanding Participant” in the National Achievement Scholarship competition.

Alexis Gurganious has been named an “Outstanding Participant” in the National Achievement Scholarship competition. (CONTRIBUTED)

Gurganious is a senior at Bob Jones High School. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation gives the award to outstanding African-American achievers who scored in the top percentiles on the Preliminary SAT (PSAT).

“This award shows that I have been recognized by academic superiors to be an outstanding student with the potential for academic success in college,” Gurganious said. “This honor will reflect highly throughout my college application process and show that I am a motivated student with a drive for success.”

Gurganious grew up in Melbourne, Fla. and then lived in Knoxville, Tenn. Relocating to Madison in 2010, she finished her freshman year at Discovery Middle School.

Last summer at Alabama Girls State, she was selected “Most Outstanding Delegate” and received a $12,000 scholarship. At Bob Jones, she has served as Interact Club president, Young Politicians Club vice president and Student Government representative.

With the Bob Jones Chorus, Gurganious performed with the select group, Bel Canto. She has completed several advance-placement courses and holds membership in National Honor Society, Beta Club, Mu Alpha Theta and national honor societies for math, English, science and French.

In volunteering, she coordinated the Links of Love for Haiti benefit, taught French to second-grade students and worked for American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, American Heart Association and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

“My dad, Dr. LeRoy Gurganious, is an orthopedic surgeon at Lincoln Medical Center in Fayetteville, Tenn., while my mom, Valora Gurganious, is a senior management consultant with Doctors Management, a premier healthcare firm,” she said. Her sister Juliette is a Bob Jones sophomore.

“In college, I plan to study political science and economics. I hope to become a political analyst or a Washington lobbyist,” Gurganious said.