44 Pleasanton Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

PLEASANTON, CA — Forty-four students who attend school in Pleasanton were named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced Tuesday.
The students joined more than 16,000 students in the running to be named a National Merit Scholar, and receive a $2500 scholarship to help them further their education. The following students received PSAT/NMSQT exam scores high enough to place them in the top one percent of US high school seniors:

AMADOR VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL

1. Anika Aeka
2. Angad Bhargav
3. Abhiraj Bhashkar
4. Kevin Choo
5. Aditya Dawar
6. Nishant Doss
7. Spencer Fang
8. Kelly Feng
9. Misha Garg
10. Kathryn Go
11. Amav Godavarthi
12. Sai Sohan Gogineni
13. Juhi Goyal
14. Yuqing Guo
15. Ethan Han
16. Alana Hicks
17. Krishi Jaladi
18. Sumanth Janjanam
19. Jerry Liu
20. Sahil Mehta
21. Aathmanathan Muruganathan
22. Anika Parkhi
23. Srikar Pasala
24. Aayan Rizvi
25. Nikhil Sunkad
26. Henry Tsay
27. Ryan Vir
28. Phylicia Wang
29. Clara Yin
30. Ryan Zheng
31. Lilian Zhong
32. Rachel Zhou
33. Weston Zong

FOOTHILL HIGH SCHOOL

1. Patrick Bennett
2. Peter Bennett
3. Anna Boeva
4. Clytie Huey
5. Prisha Jain
6. Sareena Mann
7. Tarun Natham
8. Yash Shelar
9. Ashwin Sriram
10. Chloe Xu
11. Abrianna Zhang

To become a finalist, semifinalists must submit a detailed application that provides information on their academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. They must also write an essay, be recommended by a high school official, and receive SAT or ACT scores high enough to qualify.
About 95 percent of semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of finalists are expected to win a National Merit Scholarship, according to the NMSC.