Finalists for the statewide Governor’s Honors Program have been announced and current junior Orafiri Koko has been selected as a finalist and current junior Hanzhi "Oscar" Jin was named an alternate. They were selected in the social studies and mathematics categories, respectively.
"I am very proud of Orafiri and Oscar for being named a finalist and alternate in their fields for the Governor's Honors Program," said Chad Woods, director of Upper School. "I know that Orafiri will benefit greatly from attending this program, and those around her will benefit from her being there. Being named an alternate is also a great honor for Oscar. It's no small feat to make it this far in the Governor's Honors Program application process, and it shows what you can accomplish when you are a hard worker and a great all-around student."
The Governor's Office of Student Achievement indicated that out of approximately 4,100 nominees, approximately 1,500 students were selected for semi-finalist interviews at the state level, which were completed in March.
A boarding student enrolled at Darlington since tenth grade, Koko has completed two AP courses and two Honors courses. She is currently enrolled in five AP courses and one Honors course. Koko is a member of Cooper House, and serves as a dorm leader in the house. She is an executive board member on the Honor Council, co-president of the Model UN club, advisory board member for the Upper School tutoring program and a member of the Student Arts Council. She serves as first violinist in the Orchestra and is a member of the Darlington Players and the Darlingtones a cappella group. Koko has been inducted into the International Thespian Society, National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society.
A boarding student enrolled at Darlington since tenth grade, Jin has completed three AP courses and two Honors courses. He is currently enrolled in five AP courses. Jin is a member of Summerbell House, and has served as a leader on the math team and a coder on the robotics team. He has also competed on the swim and cross country teams.
The Georgia Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) is a residential summer program for gifted and talented high school students who will be rising juniors and seniors during the program. The program offers instruction that is significantly different from the typical high school classroom and that is designed to provide students with academic, cultural, and social enrichment necessary to become the next generation of global critical thinkers, innovators, and leaders.
Koko is a boarding student from Lagos, Nigeria, and is the daughter of Abiye and Tekena Koko. Jin is a boarding student from Shanghai, China and is the son of Rong Jin.
