National Merit Semi-Finalists Announced For Livingston Schools

LIVINGSTON, NJ — As in previous years, a high number of Livingston teens have been named semi-finalists in the National Merit Scholarship competition. Finalists for the college scholarships are usually announced in spring.

The process begins when students take their PSAT as a sophomore or junior in high school. Tens of thousands of students are chosen as Commended scholars.

During those students' senior year, the number is whittled to semi-finalists. This year, 16,000 semi-finalists were chosen.

To continue competing, they must submit an essay, recommendations, and more.

In spring, some of the student receive a $2,500 scholarship for college, while others may win an amount from a specific company or a college.

Livingston Semi-Finalists

Some towns in New Jersey had one or two semi-finalists this year, but in Livingston, five students from Livingston High School and one from Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School have been named.

They are:

• Gila Klibanoff, Rae Kushner Yeshiva
• Aishanee Acharyya, Livingston High
• Grace Hu, Livingston High
• Kevin Li, Livingston High
• Pranav Narayanan, Livingston High
• Jeffrey Xu, Livingston High

See a story about last year's finalists here.

Next Steps

The semi-finalists will compete for more than 7,250 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which is a non-profit organization.

About 95 percent of the semi-finalists will attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.

NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was
established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 340 business
organizations and higher education institutions.