Jonathan Hughes '08 has been named a Semifinalist in the 53rd annual National Merit® Scholarship Program. Hughes is one of 16,000 Semifinalists chosen from an original group of more than 1.4 million juniors from nearly 21,000 high schools who entered the prestigious contest. The names of the Semifinalists were recently announced in Evanston, Ill., by officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).
Hughes now has the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,200 Merit Scholarship® awards, worth $34 million, that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must advance to the Finalist level of the competition by fulfilling several requirements. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.
To become a Finalist, a Semifinalist must possess an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student's earlier qualifying test performance. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin or religious preference. Approximately 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will be selected as Merit Scholarship winners, earning the Merit Scholar® title.
Six additional members of Portsmouth's Class of 2008 were also recognized by the NMSC as Commended Students for their outstanding academic promise. They are: Michaela Adams; Nicole Biewenga; Marisa Edmonds; Brittany Hunt; Emily Pederson; and Jonathan Samorajski. These students are among 34,000 high-performing 12th graders from around the country so honored in the National Merit Competition.
Congratulations to all of these Abbey students, and best of luck to Jonathan Hughes as he continues in the competition!
