On May 21, Rohan Mawalkar, a seventh grade student at Genoa Middle School, attended a Grand Recognition Ceremony at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. There, he received a medal for scoring in the top 95 percentile of Duke’s national Talent Identification Program (DUKE TIP), along with a Scholar of Distinction award for earning a perfect score in Math. Nationally about 65,000 students participate in the DUKE TIP 7th grade program, and about 2,000 of them are invited to the Grand Recognition Ceremony. Eighty-five among the group earned the Scholar of Distinction award, and Mawalkar was the only pupil in Ohio to do so. He was unable to attend the State Recognition Ceremony at Western Kentucky University on May 23, but will receive his medal and certificate later in the mail.
Duke TIP’s 7th Grade Talent Search helps academically talented students identify their strengths, develop their abilities and interests, and celebrate their achievements at a crucial time when they are forming their identities and looking ahead to the future. Participants learn about their strengths with an above-level test (either the ACT or SAT) and receive benefits like specialized publications and resources, educational guidance, recognition of their abilities, and academic challenges. Duke TIP is a nonprofit organization that has served more than 2.8 million academically talented students in grades four through twelve since 1980. Duke TIP works with students, their families, and educators to identify, recognize, challenge, engage, and help students reach their highest potential.
Mawalkar’s mother, Annie Ghosh, said, “Rohan and I would like to thank all his teachers and mentors for helping him get to this point and for all the help and encouragement he has received.”