WFTV's Nancy Alvarez introduces the 2018 Orange County Super Scholars

ORLANDO, Fla. — Every year, Channel 9 anchor Nancy Alvarez hosts the Super Scholars ceremony where Orange County Public Schools students who are admitted to highly ranked schools are honored.

Super Scholars are set to attend schools like Harvard, Duke and Yale—among others.

Boone High School senior David Bruno is one of those scholars. He struggled to count how many schools he’d been admitted to.

“Ummm,” he said when asked.

He’s the youngest of 12 children, born to Haitian immigrants.

“I’d go to school and be American but I’d go home and be in Little Haiti,” said Bruno.

Soon, Bruno will be attending Harvard, the school he chose among more than 20 others, after a childhood full of financial hardship.

“You’re growing up and you’re like, I need new shoes, there’s a field trip coming up,” he said. “I’ve had the same book bag I’ve had since middle school.”

He credits the support he received at Boone for his success—and so do his fellow Super Scholars.

“The teachers are amazing; the staff is amazing,” Bruno said.

Graduating seniors who were accepted into the nation’s top 20 colleges and universities qualify to become Super Scholars.

Each one here has big dreams and a big GPA, 5.0 and above.

Cooper McKillop wants to combine his love for basketball with business.

“Everyone of them has a story,” said Weeze Cullen, a guidance counselor.

And no matter where the story goes for each of these kids, counselors like Cullen, Boone’s college and career specialist, are proud it began here.

“A student who has it within him or herself can get where they want to go in the public school system. There is a ton of support in this system,” said Cullen.

Cox Media Group