Port Jefferson Senior Named National Merit Semifinalist

Earl L. Vandermeulen High School senior Natalia Zaliznyack has been named a 2015 National Merit Semifinalist.

Zaliznyack is among the 16,000 students included on the 60th annual National Merit Scholarship Program’s list, which was released Sept. 10. Qualifying because of her high PSAT score, Zaliznyack now has the opportunity to compete for one of 7,600 National Merit scholarships, which will be offered in the spring of 2015.

“I am honored and excited,” said Natalia, who is active in the school’s Science Olympiad, Academic and Mathlete teams, as well as the Latin Club. She also participated in the Simons Summer Research Fellowship at Stony Brook University over the summer and hopes to study biochemistry in college.

Photo courtesy of the Port Jefferson School District