Semifinalists named in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program
Students from Warwick Valley, Monroe-Woodbury, John S. Burke and a home schooler among those competing for 8,300 National Merit Scholarships Evanston, Ill. Officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 57th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $34 million that will be offered next spring. 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 more than half will win a National Merit Scholarship About 1.5 million juniors in 22,000 high schools entered the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2010 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors. Local semifinalists Here’s the list of local semifinalists, their school and what they’ve indicated will be their course of study in college” Monroe-Woodbury High School Daniel J. Lupia (his area of study was not listed). Jarran M. Pedersen, computer science. Sneha A. Shashikumar, economics. Warwick Valley High School Sarah N. Angle, engineering. Thomas P. Keane, physical sciences. Daniel Y. Kim, political science and government. Pine Island Home School Tabatha L. Felter, aerospace, aeronautical and space engineering. John S. Burke Catholic High School Patricia L. Zick, biology/biological sciences. National Merit Scholarships To become a finalist, a semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the high school principal, and earn sat scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. National Merit Scholarships Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2012. Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state representational basis. About 1,000 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 240 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located. In addition, about 200 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,800 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor institution. National Merit Scholarship winners of 2012 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July.