GCHS honors National Merit Scholarship finalists

Greg Bailey
·2 min read

Gadsden City High School honored its two National Merit Scholarship finalists, seniors Mithun Rameshkumar and Sally Whitt, with a reception and ceremony on April 19.

Rameshkumar, son of Gyathri Kandasamy and Ramesh Chellamuthu, has a 4.0 GPA and is in the top 1% of his class, according to a news release from the school.

He scored a perfect 36 on the ACT as a sophomore and will graduate in May with an advanced diploma with honors. He plans to attend Dartmouth College and major in economics.

Gadsden City High School seniors Sally Whitt and Mithun Rameshkumar, both National Merit Scholarship finalists, were honored Friday, April 19, 2024, with a ceremony and reception at the school.
Gadsden City High School seniors Sally Whitt and Mithun Rameshkumar, both National Merit Scholarship finalists, were honored Friday, April 19, 2024, with a ceremony and reception at the school.

Rameshkumar is a member of the GCHS Scholars Bowl team; is a member of the UAB Division for Preventative Medicine Training & Career Development Program, conducting literature reviews for research on cancer and poverty and participating in discussions on health care disparity; and volunteers with Silverline Tutoring, serving as hiring manager and conducting outreach and interviews for candidates for jobs around the world.

He is a member of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Key Club, Beta Club, Titan Helpers, Titan Ambassadors and the Gadsden City Board of Education Accreditation Committee; tutors Upward Bound students though Gadsden State Community College; and was an intern at the polls for the 2022 elections.

Rameshkumar also is a standout athlete in cross-country, swimming, tennis and track. He was captain of the cross-country and tennis teams, won the Class 6A boys' sectional singles championship and earned All-America honors in track.

Whitt, daughter of Scott and Holly Whitt, also has a 4.0 GPA and is in the top 1% of the senior class, and scored a 34 on the ACT. She'll also graduate with an advanced diploma with honors and plans to attend Auburn University and major in aerospace engineering.

She earned the AP Scholar with Honor Award at GCHS, and is a member of the Titan Ambassadors, Interact Club, Peer Helpers, Beta Club, National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta (serving as vice president), the Spanish National Honor Society and the Key Club (serving as committee chair).

Whitt is a volunteer with MANNA and the Gadsden Public Library's summer reading program, and is a longtime bell ringer for the Salvation Army during the holiday season. She's an academic, ACT and elementary math tutor.

She's a member and frequent volunteer at First United Methodist Church, and earlier at Loachapoka UMC was active in the Auburn Wesley Food Pantry program to combat food insecurity in Lee County.

Whitt was on the junior varsity and varsity volleyball teams, and on the inaugural GCHS girls' flag football team that reached the third round of the playoffs last season.

Those attending the reception along with the students' families included faculty mentors Peter Rowe and Steven Frasier, teacher Heather Ross, AP Coordinator Paula Reynolds, counselor Richelle Williams, GCHS Principal Joel Gulledge, Gadsden City Schools Superintendent Keith Blackwell and Assistant Superintendent Sharon Manness, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Marcia Farabee, and school board President Allen Millican.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: GCHS recognizes two students as National Merit Scholarship finalists