Laguna Students National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Laguna Beach High School students Charlotte Hoffs, Andrew Keyser, Joseph Ravenna, and Ben Sharp have been named Semifinalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program. These talented seniors will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million next spring.

"In recognizing the accomplishments of these National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists, it is truly impressive to have these students vying for an opportunity as a National Merit Finalist going into their senior year,” said principal Dr. Jason Allemann. “This group of students fairly represents the product of hard work in rigorous classroom settings."

To be considered for the Merit Scholarship, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance for the Finalist level of the competition.

About 90% of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and about half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors. About 1.5 million juniors entered the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2016 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT ®).

National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalists will be notified of their Finalist status in February 2018. National Merit Scholarship Program winners will be notified beginning in April.

Courtesy Laguna Beach Unified School District: Pictured left to right: LBHS Principal Dr. Jason Allemann, Ben Sharp, Charlotte Hoffs, Joseph Ravenna, Andrew Keyser