The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) recently announced that 10 Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) students have been awarded National Merit Scholarships, bringing the district’s total number of students to win the awards this year to 11.
To qualify for a scholarship, the students had to first achieve National Merit semifinalist status based on their scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. According to an ACPS press release, the students’ scores placed them among the top 1% of U.S. high school seniors.
Students then have the chance to become National Merit finalists by earning high scores on the SAT and ACT and submitting a detailed application that includes an essay, academic records, a recommendation from a school official, awards, documentation of extracurricular activities and leadership positions.
Nationwide, the release states that roughly half of National Merit Finalists ultimately receive scholarships. For ACPS, 11 of the district’s 16 finalists – about 70% – were named scholars.
The list of scholars announced this week represent students who won scholarships funded by U.S. universities and colleges, the release said. In April, Eastside High School senior Irma Rahman was named the winner of a corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship.
The scholars announced this week are:
Buchholz High School: Annika Caedington, Shailey Karri, Evan Rotchford, Keith Zheng
Eastside High School: Francheska Melendez, Juhyung Seong
Gainesville High School: Madeleine Goodrich, Irma Impink
Professional Academies Magnet at Loften High School: Logan Rockwell
Santa Fe High School: Robert Hu