INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Congratulations to the School District of Indian River County’s 2016 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists: Emma Albrecht, Sebastian River High School; Dalia Husainy and Noah Lanier, Vero Beach High School.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) has announced the names of approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 61st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. About 1.5 million juniors entered the competition.
The announcement stated that these academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,400 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be offered next spring.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship Award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
Students enter the competition by taking the 2014 Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), a national test, in their junior year.
Semifinalists must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.
To ensure that academically talented young people from all parts of the United States are included in this talent pool, semifinalists are designated on a state representational basis. They are the highest scoring entrants in each state.
NMSC provides scholarship application materials to semifinalists through their high schools. To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, semifinalists must advance to finalist standing in the competition.
Those semifinalists that reach finalist designation will be notified in February and National Merit Scholarship winner announcements will be released beginning in April and will conclude in July.
Dr. Mark Rendell, Superintendent, said, “Outstanding!!! I commend Emma, Dalia, and Noah for earning the Semifinalist title and I wish them well as they continue in the completion for Finalist designation and the possibility of scholarships.”