Mario Hoover is from the West Side. He is a student at Providence St. Mel School and he achieved a perfect score of 36 on his ACT college entrance exam. This is the highest rank any student has received since their doors opened 42 years ago.
Hoover is a high school junior who was born and raised on the West Side. He said he studied hard for the test because he knew he could do well, and he wants to be a neurosurgeon.
The young man also hopes that his accomplishment inspires others in the neighborhood to see that they are “capable of excellence…it breaks the notion that people from the West Side can’t succeed.” Hoover believes if he can do it, anybody can.
Aside from studying, Hoover volunteers at the MLK Boys and Girls Club on Washington Boulevard and sings in the All-State Chorus. He plans to minor in music in college.
The prestigious private school has had students who scored 34 or 35, on the ACTs but Hoover is the first to achieve a perfect 36. The school has an exemplary track record for guiding young students. Many of them go on to attend some of the most highly regarded Universities in the nation. Additionally, Providence St. Mel boasts that 100 percent of its students have received college scholarships, since opening in 1978.
Hoover’s mother said she chose Providence St. Mel for a good reason:
It’s very rigorous. The curriculum is way more demanding. It’s faster. They learn a lot more in the amount of time they’re given in a day. He really had to do the work.
Zippora Collins grew up on the West Side and she understand all too well what it was like to navigate through different gang territories. The school her son was sent to, after his elementary school closed down under Mayor Rahm Emanuel, was on the edge of Humboldt Park.
Her son, Hoover, has been enrolled in Providence St. Mel since she pulled him out of public school in the third grade.
Written by Jeanette Vietti
Sources:
BlockClubChicago: Providence St. Mel Student Lands Perfect ACT Score: ‘Not Only Can I Achieve This, But Others Can As Well; by Pascal Sabino
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of *Hajee’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inline Image Courtesy of Linda Flores’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
