Fork Union Military Academy is proud to announce that four cadets have been identified as eligible for the National Recognition Awards through the College Board. The cadets recognized for eligibility are Gabriel Keener, David Ilegar, George Owino, and Kadin Stremlau. All four cadets are eligible for the School Recognition Award, and David Ilegar has also been identified as eligible for the Rural and Small-Town Recognition Award.

Each cadet must complete the required steps to confirm eligibility. Once that process is complete, the College Board will notify the Academy in June regarding official award recipients.

The National Recognition Awards honor students who demonstrate academic excellence based on performance on College Board assessments and coursework. Students are considered for recognition when they:

• Take the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and/or AP Exams (by the end of 10th grade)
• Earn a cumulative GPA of B+ or higher (at least 3.3 or 87–89%) by the time of submission
• Demonstrate academic achievement by being among the top 10 percent of qualifying test takers in their school or designated comparison group, or by earning a score of 3 or higher on two or more distinct AP exams taken in the 8th, 9th, and/or 10th grade

The School Recognition Award, introduced in 2025, celebrates students who demonstrate academic excellence within their own school community. Students may qualify by scoring in the top 10 percent of their school’s PSAT test takers or by meeting the qualifying AP exam criteria. For schools with fewer than 20 test takers, results are calculated across small schools within the geographic region.

Eligible students from the classes of 2027 and 2028 who meet the criteria are invited by the College Board to complete the designation process.

Gabriel Keener is an 11th grader from Raleigh, North Carolina, and the son of Erik and Ashley Keener. He has been enrolled at Fork Union Military Academy since the ninth grade.

David Ilegar is an 11th grader from Lagos, Nigeria, and the son of Sunday and Stacy Ilegar. He is currently in his first year at the Academy.

George Owino is an 11th grader from Falls Church, Virginia, and the son of Judy Owino. He is also in his first year at the Academy.

Kadin Stremlau is an 11th grader from Livingston, Texas, and the son of Kelly Stremlau. He has been enrolled at the Academy since the seventh grade.

Fork Union Military Academy continues to build a strong tradition of academic excellence through the College Board’s National Recognition Awards.

Last year, five Fork Union cadets earned National Recognition Awards, including:

• Nicholas Coleman (Senior, Woodbridge, VA) — School Recognition Award
• William Zeron (Senior, Fork Union, VA) — Rural & Small-Town Recognition Award and School Recognition Award
• Chrysander Rahardjo (Senior, Auckland, New Zealand) — School Recognition Award
• Robert Callahan (Senior, Greer, SC) — School Recognition Award
• Andres Olalla Casas (Senior, Madrid, Spain) — Rural & Small-Town Recognition Award and School Recognition Award

This continued recognition highlights the Academy’s commitment to academic achievement and its mission of preparing cadets for success at the collegiate level and beyond.

Fork Union Military Academy congratulates Gabriel, David, George, and Kadin on this outstanding academic accomplishment and looks forward to celebrating their achievements when official award recipients are announced this summer.