51 Seniors Receive National Merit Recognition

This September, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NSMC) announced the names of the semifinalists in the 64th annual National Merit Scholarship program. Fourteen Regis seniors who have displayed outstanding academic talent and achievement are among the approximately 16,000 students nation-wide who have qualified for the recognition.

According to the National Merit Scholarship's press release, this year saw the 16,000 semifinalists emerge from a pool of 1.6 million high school juniors who entered the program by taking the 2017 PSAT. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of US high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. These high school seniors will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships that will be offered next spring, which are worth more than $31 milion in total.

According to Hee-Sun Hong, Director of College Counseling at Regis, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition in order to be considered for a Merit Scholarship award. About 90% of semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. National Merit Scholarship finalists will be announced in February, while scholarship winners will be announced in the spring.

NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 420 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC's goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.

The members of the Class of 2019 who were named semifinalists are:

Additionally, 35 students were recognized as National Merit Commended Students, and 9 students were recognized as National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholars.

The National Merit Commended Students are:

The National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholars are: