Benton High School prides itself as “the home of champions.” Two more champions have emerged in recent weeks. Seniors Cole Jester and Dawn Le have been named National Merit finalists and winners of National Merit Scholarship Corp. awards. The National Merit Scholarship Corp. is a not-for-profit corporation that was founded in 1955 specifically to conduct the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Jester, whose full name is Samuel Cole Jester, received a National Merit $2,500 Scholarship. This one-time award is supported by the National Merit Scholarship Corp.’s own funds.
Le, whose full name is Thinh Dong Huynh Le, received a National Merit PPG Industries Foundation Community Scholarship, which is worth $1,500 per year, or $6,000 over four years.
The PPG Industries Foundation is
financed by PPG Industries in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the company operates a plant in Alexander. According to information on the PPG website, ppgfoundation.com, these community scholarships are awarded to students who are residents of selected communities where PPG has maintained manufacturing or distribution operations or who are children of PPG Industries employees.
Jester, the 18-year-old son of Julie Jester and the late Terry Jester, has one younger brother, Dane Jester, who is 14 and attends Benton Junior High School.
Cole Jester plans to attend Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia and major in Christian studies and political science.
“It’s a toss-up,” he said with a smile. “I know I want to be a pastor, but I have a passion for the law, too.
“I’d like to go to law school and to seminary. That would give me some flexibility. I could start my own small church and have a second occupation, too.
“It will be hard, but that is what I hope to do.”
Jester attends First Baptist Church in Benton, where he is president of the youth choir.
He has a 4.29 grade-point average and scored a 35 on the ACT college entrance examination. He has taken 10 Advanced Placement classes, including world history, United States history, English literature and composition, government, biology, statistics, European history, psychology, English language and composition, and college algebra, which he said is a concurrent class that counts as an AP class as well.
He is a member of the Student Council and the backpacking club at Benton High School.
“I love the outdoors,” he said. “I love backpacking, hiking and camping.”
Jester attended Arkansas Boys State last summer at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.
He was a member of the Fellowship of Student Athletes, serving as president during ninth and 10th grades. He said he played football until he was in the 11th grade.
Jester has been on several mission trips, including ones to Arlington, Texas; New York; and Ecuador.
Jester said he has always wanted to be a National Merit finalist.
“Ever since I was young, I wanted to try,” he said. “I always try to do my best [in school].
“This is a big honor for me.”
Jester has also been awarded the OBU Trustee Scholarship, worth $89,040 for four years, and the Governor’s Scholarship, worth $10,000 a year, or $40,000 for four years.
Le, the 17-year-old daughter of Thinh Le and Hanh Huynh, was born in Ben Tre, which is in southern Vietnam. She came to the United States when she was 4.
Le has three siblings, all of whom were born in Arkansas: two sisters, An Le, 10, and May Le, 4; and a brother, Nam Le, 5. Le’s dad is a chef, and her mom works as a seamstress at home.
Le said her parents came to the United States “for more opportunities. They came here to build a better life for me. I didn’t speak English when I came here. They stuck me in an ESL (English as a second language) class for kindergarten. I was good at testing, but I just couldn’t talk to people. It was very frustrating, just as it is for my sister [An],” Le said.
“I could do the work, but I just couldn’t put it into words. But I knew I had to learn. I had to learn to survive,” she said.
“I tested for gifted and talented in the first grade and started GT classes in the second grade, but I was still confused,” Le said. “I just had to immerse myself into it. The more I talked, the better I got at it.”
Le has a 4.14 GPA and earned a 34 on the ACT college entrance exam.
She has also taken AP classes, including calculus, world history, United States history, government, English language and composition, psychology and biology.
She plans to attend UCA and major in math.
Le has received the Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship of $10,000 per year, or $40,000 for four years, and the UCA Distinguished Scholarship worth $34,000 for four years.
“I really don’t know what I want to do yet,” she said. “Up until this year, I thought I wanted to be a college teacher, but now I don’t know.
“I’m a gamer. I like video games. I’ll just go to college and see what happens. Math is something I love.”
At school, Le is a percussionist in the band.
She played soccer until this year, when she was injured in a car accident.
“I wasn’t allowed to do anything for a while,” she said. “No contact sports.”
Le is a member of the Student Council and serves as the senior class vice president. She is president of the Future Business Leaders of America and is a member of the Quiz Bowl and has participated in Model UN.
She attended Arkansas Girls State last summer at Harding University in Searcy and Arkansas Governor’s School at Hendrix College in Conway.
Being named a National Merit Scholar is important to Le.
“I think it has made my parents proud,” she said, smiling. “They want the best for me.
“I’ve had to work for it. Taking AP classes has been hard work.”
Both Jester and Le will graduate summa cum laude during graduation ceremonies set for 7 p.m. Thursday in the Jack Stephens Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.