By Kyle Roberts
Seeing her students shine clearly puts Ruston High junior class counselor Diana Humphries in her element.
After after seeing Pre-ACT scoring by juniors Cedric Serio and Anhaar Wasi last year, she just knew that they had a shot to achieve the coveted 36 on the ACT.
Turns out she was absolutely right, as both Serio and Wasi hit perfection this year.
“After studying their academic files and seeing their Pre-ACT scores, I knew they had it in them,” Humphries said.
For Serio, it’s a relief to no longer have to worry about the test going into his senior year at Ruston High.
“It’s great to not have to think about that anymore,” Serio said. “I was prepared to take it several times, but then just having the score has paid off. It takes a lot of pressure off, and I don’t have to sit there worrying about it anymore.”
Wasi echoed Serio’s sentiments.
“I was more relieved when I saw my score than anything,” Wasi said. “It’s one major thing out of the way.”
Both students were quick to credit the school for preparing them to achieve the high score.
“This year, they’ve been focusing a lot on ACT scores, so we had stuff in every class and advisory,” Wasi said. “I think it helped me throughout the year to focus on what I got wrong and fix those things.”
Serio also gave some pretty simple advice for students that want to try for the 36: pay attention in class and focus.
“There was one day in English where I wasn’t fully paying attention to the passage, and it meant that I scored two points lower (on the Pre-ACT) as a whole,” Serio said. “It matters a lot.”
Humphries added how proud she was of the duo’s accomplishment and how they’ve handled themselves since getting their scores.
“It’s a joy to work with them,” Humphries said. “They have high expectations of themselves; they’re very humble young men and they don’t go around bragging about this. It’s just another day in their lives.”
Ruston High had one perfect score last year when then-junior Jodi Dunbar scored her 36. In the last seven years, five Bearcats have hit perfection.
