Osceola County has seven academically-talented students in who have been named as National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalists.
They are:
Brian Delaney and Alexander Kim from Celebration High School, Felipe Abreu, Paulina Botero Mejia and Raghvi Tailor of Gateway High, Steven George of Tohopekaliga High and home-schooled Adeline Hall.
They are part of a pool of approximately 16,000 semifinalists nationwide semifinals, who will continue in the competitive process to earn one of some 7,250 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $28 million offered in the spring.
Fewer than 1% of U.S. high school seniors are NMS semifinalists. Students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), and by meeting published entry and participation requirements.
Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
Approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title. To become a finalist, the semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application with detailed information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received.
A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.
Best of luck to Osceola County’s National Merit Scholar finalists!
Information from the Osceola County School District and National Merit Scholarship Program was used in this report.
