BY KARISSA MILLER
Each summer, a handful of academically and intellectually gifted students are invited to further their studies on a college campus by attending the N.C. Governor’s School.
Fourteen Iredell-Statesville Schools students have been selected to participate in the 2025 session in subjects ranging from mathematics to Visual Arts.
This year’s students are:
• Isabelle Larson, Social Science, Lake Norman High;
• Nora Faustino, Natural Science, South Iredell High;
• Iyona Reid, English, Crossroads Early College;
• Shira Rajesh, Natural Science, South Iredell High;
• Ken Jenkins, English, Statesville High;
• Anuj Nashine, Mathematics, Lake Norman High;
• Christopher Ramirez-Hernandez, Social Science, CCTL Early College;
• Reese Wilson, English, South Iredell High;
• Emma Walters, Natural Science, South Iredell High;
• Bryony Goforth, Spanish, South Iredell High;
• Maira Siddiqui, Visual Arts, South Iredell High;
• Kasey Banh, Visual Arts, Crossroads Early College;
• Brooke White, Dance, Lake Norman High; and
• Abigail Lewis, Instrumental Music, South Iredell High;
Selection criteria include grade point average, essay scores, recommendations, extracurricular activities, leadership roles and community service, and, in the areas of performing/visual arts, audition scores.
According to I-SS Director of Gifted, IB and Online Learning Kelly Hinson, less than 1 percent of all N.C. high school students advance to statewide consideration.
Fourteen of the 33 students from I-SS who advanced to the state level of selection were invited to attend the 2025 session of N.C. Governor’s School.
About N.C. Governor’s School
N.C. Governor’s School is the oldest statewide summer residential program for academically and/or intellectually gifted high school students in the nation. The program, which is open to rising seniors, with exceptions made for rising juniors in selected areas of performing and visual arts, is located on two campuses. Governor’s School West is held at High Point University in High Point, and Governor’s School East is held at Meredith College in Raleigh.