Two Hastings High School Seniors Named Semifinalists in 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program

Congratulations to Jordana Solomon and Katharine Berman, two outstanding Hastings High School seniors who have been named Semifinalists in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program competition. These academically talented high school students now have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,400 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be offered next spring.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 1.5 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2014 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). This served as an initial screening of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

To become a Finalist, the Semifinalists and their high school must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record throughout high school, be endorsed or recommended by a high school