Gold Stars Don't Define Them: The Impacts of the Gifted Program Seen Today

By Sophia Ortiz - March 4, 2026

In a classroom at South CTA, typically, there are students who’d be called “smart”, “average”, etc. When someone needs help, they’d probably ask the students that have an A. But, have you ever considered what being “smart” does to them and their mindset? Many of them probably were in a program where their intelligence can “shine” even further. However, this “gifted program” isn’t perfect and we can see its impacts on many of the people in classes across the school. Let’s look into why.

Critics say the program causes harm through jealousy, inequity, and even racism, but we’ll dive into the "brain-washing" harms of labels. At first glance, being called “smart” and “talented” would seemingly boost self-esteem, but this would consequently lead to more expectations about academics and maintaining the image of being “successful”; if they fail to meet these requirements of the title, “society” would criticize them, affecting mental health. Sports medicine student Amber Ting said, “In the gifted program…not everyone is the same type of “smart”; some students excelled in the arts, or in historical topics, while others were able to do well in turning in work and maintaining grades.”

She explains that being “gifted” varies, yet people expect them to become the next Einstein; everyone’s brain works differently, so it won’t be a guarantee that they’ll be a prodigy at playing the violin as much as mathematics. Ting claims, “Being in gifted doesn't automatically make you the ideal ‘great student’” like many would expect, as she has been now more stressed about academics and getting good grades. How can we prove this?

Photo Credit: Raeey Niguse

Caption: Sofia Czbua is posing for a picture at the Varsity Quiz All-Stars Game (after the championship game), where the best from each team compete in a "light-hearted" match.

Take Sofia Czuba, for example, a student in the biomedical program, who would be described as very exceptional in academics, robotics, HOSA, Lincoln-Douglas debate, and Varsity Quiz. She participated in her elementary school’s GATE program (Gifted and Talented Education), so for practically her entire life, she’s been known as “the smart one”. Without this label, depending on how much it’s used, many people would have a noticeable change. Czuba explains it nicely: “I’d feel like I’m losing part of my identity. I’ve been called ‘smart’ and ‘gifted’ for practically my entire life, so it would be a drastic change to no longer hold those titles. I think I’d just be craving the academic validation from others, and feel self-conscious about my performance in school.” Giving people labels may seem like giving them a compliment (if it's a positive one), but the damage is causing them to feel "heavily pressured...like putting a burden on top of one's shoulders".

Now, students like Raeey Niguse, Leanne Mallari, and even middle schoolers describe similar experiences. Niguse reveals, “Academics…is what I think when I wake up, when I go to sleep, when I go about my day…It creates a sense of anxiety in which I often feel like there's a shadow of assignments and tasks that need to be done following me around, leading to exhaustion and burnout.” If too many students are thinking, “Academics constantly makes me feel like I’m in a competition with myself,” like Mallari reported, school will become centered almost entirely on academics, not making memories or having fun. Students deserve space to grow and explore more into their school career without carrying the weight of a label that harms them.

Credits:

SCTA Freshman: Rita Khachatryan, Amber Ting, Sofia Czuba, Yuma Wu, Leann Thang, Leanne Mallari, Sabrina Patenia, Raeey Niguse

Middle Schoolers: Ayva Cruz (7th grader at Legacy Southwest), Ethan Jensen (8th grader at Legacy Southwest), Melody Huang (7th grader at Legacy Southwest), Hana Dacayanan (8th grader at Amplus), Patrick Swain (8th grader at Legacy Southwest), Joyce Chen (8th grader at Legacy Southwest)

Page updated

Report abuse