Rio Rancho students win gold in NAACP ACT-SO enrichment program

Six students, including two with Rio Rancho ties, earned eight gold medals Saturday in the NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics enrichment program.

The students worked on their projects throughout the year, culminating in formal presentations to a panel of four judges for critique and scoring. Those with scores between 95-100 in their category won gold. Alex Adams from Rio Rancho High School won in architecture and painting. Gloria Enga, a Rio Rancho resident who goes to Menaul, won for medicine and science.

Albuquerque’s Victoria Barkley won drawing and sculpture, Jiordani Guillet won music composition, Anne Isimbi won original essay and James Washington won photography.

The Rio Rancho/Sandoval County NAACP branch sponsored the ACT-SO, which is a yearlong achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students.

The gold medalists are eligible to advance to the national competition this year in Boston in July. Additionally they have the opportunity to receive scholarships and other rewards provided by national sponsors.