A senior at Parkview Arts & Science Magnet High School in Little Rock recently earned a perfect score on the National Spanish Exam.
Jayden Bledsoe is one of only 201 students across the country to score perfectly on the National Spanish Exam and the only student in Arkansas to have earned this feat.
Jayden’s Spanish teacher, Robin Kratzke, said this was a first in her career, adding that Jayden was passionate about learning the foreign language.
“For me, it was truly a gift and a privilege to teach him,” Kratzke said, according to 11Alive. “His humbleness, kindness, and unwavering work ethic, plus his sincere passion for learning Spanish, make this achievement even more meaningful for both him and me.”
READ ALSO: Delaware middle school principal confesses to raping student under 16 for years
Jayden explained how learning a foreign language and mastering how to speak it felt like.
“I knew I was going to have trouble on the listening part, and I heard that they had different accents and stuff,” Jayden said to KLRT. “I didn’t know that I was going to get a 100, though.”
Jayden, who has been recognized by the Little Rock School District, said his remarkable achievement came with many hours of studying with his teacher. “I would want to come to class, like I wouldn’t skip, it would be fun, the different projects and stuff we would have to actually speak,” Jayden said.
Besides the gold medal he earned, Jayden has a full scholarship to Missouri University of Science and Technology, where he will be majoring in computer science.
“When you work hard, you can accomplish anything,” the gifted student said.