Owasso students Evan Carpenter, Katelyn Crossman, Sterling Draper, Saul Pasquez, Jacob Raulie, Alex Stansill, Ashlyn Stephenson and Tian Wang will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered in the spring.
“We are immensely proud of these students and their dedication to academic excellence,” OPS Superintendent Dr. Margaret Coates said. “Achieving the title of National Merit Semifinalist is a testament to all of their hard work, talent and commitment. This record-breaking number of semifinalists is also a reflection of the dedication and expertise of the outstanding educators in our district, who have helped inspire and guide these students throughout their academic careers. We are very proud of these students and look forward to their continued success.”
High school juniors entered the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay and SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.
All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from the group of Finalists, which will be announced in February 2024. 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.
National Merit Scholarship winners of 2024 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 375,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.
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