Schools
Smithtown HS East National Merit Semifinalists Announced
Less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors were named semifinalists. Two are from Smithtown High School East.
ST. JAMES, NY — Two Smithtown High School East seniors, Dylan Shen and Rishabh Dholakia, were named semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.
"I was really excited," Dholakia said in a news release. "I wasn’t sure if I got it or not, it’s a great
opportunity for scholarship and college."
The nationwide pool of semifinalists represented less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors.
Find out what's happening in Smithtownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"I was also really excited when it came out because it’s a huge thing for college and it's really nice
on the résumé," Shen said. "I did a lot of work study for the test so it paid off."
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a nonprofit organization that awards scholarship to high school seniors annually. Semifinalists are chosen based on preliminary SAT scores.
Find out what's happening in Smithtownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Finalists will be chosen based on an essay written by the student, a recommendation from a high school official, and grades and SAT scores that align with the student’s PSAT score.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
