Three East Catholic Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

Three seniors at East Catholic High School have made their school proud.

Elyssa Schwendy, Rachel Franzluebbers, and Meaghan McGeary have each been named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists, recognized for their top scores on the Preliminary Scholastic Achievement Test.

The annual academic competition, in which about 1.5 million high school students nationwide participate, uses students' PSAT scores as the first filter toward selecting the top winners for the scholarships, which can be significant. Students notified as having qualified as either a Commended Student or Semifinalist are asked to name two colleges or universities that they would like to be referred by the National Merit Scholarship Competition.

To advance to Finalist standing, students who are named Semifinalists must meet high academic standards. They are also evaluated on their leadership roles and activities as well as other requirements, including a personal essay. The deadline for finalist applications is Oct. 12.

Besides their high scores on the PSAT test, all three semi-finalists have a full resume when it comes to involvement in school activities.

"I am on the varsity team for both basketball and volleyball and I'm a member of the National Honor Society," said Rachel Franzluebbers. "I'm also a member of the Language Club. We meet once a month to learn about different languages and cultures."

Franzluebbers said she is not really certain what she wants to do beyond high school but is leaning toward a career in engineering. She has looked at Fordham, Boston University, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

"I learned about [being named a semi-finalist] from my guidance counselor, Sister Peggy Evans," said Elyssa Schwendy. "Our school has often had semi-finalists. It's an important achievement and she was excited for me."

Besides exemplary academic performance, Schwendy also serves as captain of the school's varsity tennis team, is a Powder Puff football player, a member of the school's Human Rights Club and an editor and poet with East Catholic High's photography and art literary magazine, ECLAT.

As for her post-high school plans, Schwendy said she would like to study both Biology and French.

"The subject matter of the essay part is pretty broad-based, but I plan to include my extracurricular involvement in the music department, fine arts program, and the math team," said Meaghan McGeary.

McGeary added that the National Merit Scholarship Competition is important because it involves not only the opportunity to win one of the top $2,500 National Merit Scholarships, but it also opens the door to several other corporate-sponsored and college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards, many of which can be renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study.

Like Schwendy, McGeary said she hopes to major in biology. She's been looking at various liberal arts schools in the northeast that offer a well-rounded curriculum.

"[Scwendy and I] both had the same biology teacher, Ms. Milas. We both found the class fascinating, extremely challenging and rewarding," said McGeary. "We have a lot of amazing teachers at East Catholic."

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