Local student among the nation's best

Ella Botko - Mustangs Ahead

(LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL) - Lakewood Ranch High School (LRHS) senior Claire Davidson has been recognized as a National Merit Semifinalist. She is the only Mustang to receive the award this year.

In order to even be considered for the scholarship, a student must score within the top one percentile on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) as a junior.

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When the news came out, LRHS Principal Dustin Dahlquist went to present her with the award. However, Davidson was nowhere to be found.

She had been in a car accident that morning. Fortunately, Davidson was okay and awarded later in the school day.

When she finally arrived at school and was informed of the big news, she stated, “ I was really surprised, it definitely made my day a lot better.”

Davidson was surprised to win the award because she didn’t prepare much for the test.

“The classes I took and remaining calm throughout the test really helped me,” said Davidson.

Even though she hasn’t become a national scholar and has a lot of work ahead of her, Davidson said she was very optimistic about the future.

“My parents and I are incredibly excited for what’s to come,” Davidson said. “I think it’ll be a great experience for me. After all of this is over, I’m hoping I’ll be a National Merit Scholar.”

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