Joining a group of less than one percent nationally to reach this milestone, junior student Mario Hoover received a perfect 36 ACT score and has been rightfully given the monicker “Mr. 36,” by his peers, as AfroTech previously told you.

The perfect score was the first in Providence St. Mel High School’s 42-year-old history.

Ricketts and Hoover also have a shared career interest as Hoover plans to become a neurosurgeon. In February 2022, AfroTech reported that he maintained a 3.9 GPA all while partaking in extracurricular activities such as being an all-state musician, track athlete, and a volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club as well as the local hospital. Hoover hopes his endeavors will serve as a blueprint to remind students that the sky is the limit.

“[I’m] Doing the best that I can to boost my academic career and professional career to inspire others to do the same,” Hoover said, according to ABC7 Chicago. “Because once you have that platform, you can inspire people to change the world and you can also change the world.”

Justin Ricketts

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