Two Simley Students Named National Merit Semi-Finalists

Two students have been named as semi-finalists for National Merit Scholarships. Avery Garon and Angelina Omodt-Lopez were included in the list of approximately 16,000 students nationally that still have a chance to claim the award.

There are roughly 8,300 National Merit Scholarships that will be awarded in the spring worth more than $34 million. The semi-finalists are chosen from among more than 1.5 million students nationally that took the PSAT test as juniors. Less than one percent of high school students are considered for the award as semi-finalists.

The awards are presented by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a non-profit organization in existence since 1955 created to indentify and honor academic achievement and increase support for education. According to the organization’s website, the NMSC has awarded more than 360,000 scholarships worth more than $1.4 billion since its inception.

Finalists are selected based on SAT scores and continued academic excellence along with other program criteria. Winners are announced in February.