12 Vestavia Hills Seniors Named National Merit Finalists

VESTAVIA HILLS, AL - The Vestavia Hills school system is known statewide for academic excellence, and with news that all 12 of Vestavia Hills High School's recent National Merit Semi-finalists have been named National Merit Finalists only solidifies that reputation.

The 2018 National Merit Finalists at VHHS include: Nicolas Aldana, Chandler Clemmons, Richard Fu, Joshua Gray, Ginger Llivina, Michael McClurg, Nelson Mills, Sidhvi Reddy, Jacob Reiber, Robert Smith, Sarah Zhao and Yihan Zhong.

Approximately 15,000 students nationwide were named National Merit Finalists this year, representing less than 1 percent of the 1.6 million students who took the PSAT/NMSQT test as entry into the National Merit program.

As Finalists, the VHHS seniors are now eligible for numerous National Merit scholarships worth thousands of dollars. Some 190 colleges and universities around the nation also extend scholarship offers to National Merit Finalists, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

“National Merit is a wonderful program, and we are so proud of these students for achieving this level of recognition and scholarship,” Vestavia Hills High School principal Tyler Burgess, Ed.D., said today. “This is an acknowledgement of their hard work throughout their years in school, and we look forward to watching them achieve even more in the years to come as graduates and alumni of Vestavia Hills High School.”

Photo via Vestavia Hills City Schools