Congratulations to Kiera Thiede, daughter of Ashley and Ryan Burns, a 2022 graduate of Westfield Area High school has been awarded a $1,000 Scholarship by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. Kiera has completed four years of Westfield’s Spanish program and was chosen to take the National Spanish Exam each year she was in Señora West’s classroom.
Senior Scholarships are based on the past two years of exam scores and only one student per school nationwide is allowed to apply. The application process is extensive and, in addition to the normal letters of recommendation, lists of extracurricular and community involvement and essays, it also requires students to create a video in Spanish with their teacher to highlight their Spanish skills. Often, eligible students don’t go through the process to apply.
During the past two years, Kiera earned both a gold and a silver medal (besting 98% and 87% of the nation on the level 3 and 4 exams). Winning is a great honor as only 18 students are chosen from among the 150,000 students who take the National Spanish Exams each year.
Congratulations to Kiera and her family. This scholarship is well deserved. Your hard work and dedication have paid off.
Students from Westfield Area High School have a long history of high achievement on these exams and were taught by Julianne West.
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Kiera Thiede