Schools
MVLA Boasts 34 Semifinalists In 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program
These academic talents can now compete for the national scholarships.
The National Merit Scholarship Program announced that 34 members of Mountain View Los Altos High School District’s senior class have qualified as Semifinalists.
Only the top one percent of applicants in the nation receives National Merit finalist recognition.
“MVHS is proud of these students for being selected as National Merit Semifinalists," said Mike Mathiesen, MVHS assistant principal.
"This is a distinguished honor, reflective of their high academic success thus far in high school. We are excited to support them in the next stages of the process and look forward to celebrating their successes along with our other graduating seniors in the spring.”
Each year, approximately 1.5 million entrants participate in the National Merit Scholarship Program, by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in a program co-sponsored by the College Board.
The standardized test measures critical reading, math problem-solving and writing skills. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $48 million that will be offered next spring.
The Semifinalists from Los Altos High School are:
- Elizabeth A. Bishop,
- Nicholas E. Bousse,
- Faith A. Chan,
- Alina Chen,
- Madeleine R. Colbert,
- Salim Damerdji,
- Julia M. Goupil,
- Natalie Hollenbaugh,
- Sarah M. Jacobs,
- Owen M. Jow,
- Katherine Liu,
- William Z. Liu,
- Derrick Lu,
- Veronica Mark,
- James H. Merrill,
- Anica S. Nangia,
- Matthew T. Ruehle,
- Laura Shea,
- Angelica M. Wilson,
- Arissa Wongpanich,
- Wendy Y. Wu,
- Elaine Zhao,
- Lillia N. Zhou
- Michael D. Zhu.
The Semifinalists from Mountain View High School are:
- Sophia A. Campione,
- Matthew J. Chang,
- Seraphine Goh,
- Ryan H. McLaughlin,
- Louis N. Rosen,
- Negin Shahiar,
- Ankit Sharma,
- Brian J. Silverman,
- Aditya Tammana
- Grace S. Tsang.
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 more than half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
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.
The Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes the student’s essay and information about the Semifinalist’s participation and leadership in school and community activities.
Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
