Wednesday, September 16, 2026 · Serving all of Hudson County since March 20118 Jose Marti STEM Academy Students Chosen For Prestigious National Scholarship Program
There's more great news for Union City's outstanding STEM high school. Eight Jose Marti STEM Academy students have been chosen to participate in a prestigious and highly competitive national scholars…
There’s more great news for Union City’s outstanding STEM high school. Eight Jose Marti STEM Academy students have been chosen to participate in a prestigious and highly competitive national scholars ‘program.
Based upon their outstanding applications, they were selected to the QuestBridge College Scholars Program based in the Silicon Valley in California. It is a non-profit organization whose goal is to connect low-income and first-generation students with partner colleges and universities.
The students, all of whom were Union City Summer Scholars and who also participated in Project SEED, are in the top 25 of their class. They were selected out of a pool of more than 16,000 applications.
Post school news
Nadia Makar, director of STEM education for the Union City Board of Education, says all eight students may be headed to Ivy League universities upon their graduations.
The eight student scholars are: Jesly Arias, Merisha Fernando, Valerie Duran, Hillary Guarango, Eric Rosales, Ashley Hernandez, Emily Barranco and Ryan Ruys.
In addition, Jose Marti STEM Academy learned on Wednesday that it has received the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Lighthouse Award. The award is considered the highest honor for high-performing high schools across the United States.
It recognizes school which have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, community engagement, and innovative practices that promote student success.