"A Dozen of Jersey's Best and Brightest" Star-Ledger Scholars

Colleges & Universities Princeton University
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<p>A DOZEN OF JERSEY’S BEST AND BRIGHTEST
Star-Ledger Scholars program honors students and influential teachers
Monday, May 22, 2006
BY MOLLY BLOOM
Star-Ledger Staff </p>

<p>Each year, the Star-Ledger newspaper awards scholarships to 12 of the top high school scholars in central and northern New Jersey. This year, the top scholar is headed to Stanford. The largest contingent (5 out of the twelve) will be enrolling at Princeton.</p>

<p>“Filipe and Aida Cerqueira left school after the fourth grade to work in the fields of their native Portugal. So seeing their son, Mark, a 2006 Star-Ledger Scholar and Newark Science High School senior, prepare to embark on a collegiate career at Princeton University was a landmark moment for the couple. “This is big for them,” said Mark Cerqueira, one of 12 Star-Ledger scholars honored last night at a banquet at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. “They’re really proud of me.”</p>

<p>“For 19 years, The Star-Ledger Scholars program has honored students from New Jersey high schools based on academic achievement.</p>

<p>“Seven of this year’s Star-Ledger Scholars will stay in New Jersey for college, with five planning to enroll at Princeton University and two at Rutgers University. </p>

<p>For Cerqueira, who was also admitted to Yale University, the choice to stay in the Garden State was simple. “New Jersey is the best state in the country,” he said. “It’s the most expensive, so it’s got to be the best.” </p>

<p>(I especially like this tongue-in-cheek final comment!)</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-3/114827545964330.xml&coll=1[/url]”>http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-3/114827545964330.xml&coll=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Haha, nice.
The only problem here is that New Jersey is FAR from the best state in the country. That’d go to California.</p>

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<p>For the first time ever, I agree with quirkily. :wink: California rocks.</p>

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<p>one of my classmates is on there :P</p>

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<p>three of them went to NJ Gov School with me :)</p>

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<p>Hey, I’m on that list :).</p>

<p>Actually, it was pretty bizarre. They had a reception for us, and a bunch of us were kind of standing around </p>

<p>Person A: So, were are you going next year?
Person B: Princeton, how about you?
Person A: Oh, me too
Person C: Me too</p>

<p>which is disconcerting to say the least. Also, a gem from one of the organizers:</p>

<p>Besides you and your families, guests include some former scholars. Six seniors will come back, including Kelly Shue from Harvard, who will speak. So will Norman Yao, also Harvard, who was last year’s Mort Pye Scholar. Norman’s a personable guy who will undoubtedly call you “dude,” so, if someone does, that’s him. Be nice to Harvard people; they haven’t yet learned none of the scholars this year chose to go there, so it will be tough on their egos. </p>

<p>Take that, Harvard sympathizers who shall remain nameless!</p>

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<p>A revealing post! Always looking over their shoulders for “the big H” - even in central Jersey!</p>

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<p>egos…</p>

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<p>Needless to say, the most prestigious scholar of them all picked a behemoth in Palo Alto.</p>