12 National Merit Semifinalists, Commended Students At Yorktown

YORKTOWN, NY — Seven Yorktown High School seniors have been named Semifinalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship program and five seniors have been named Commended Students. The Semifinalists are Roopa Duvvi, Kevin Fink, Jasmine Laber, Tracey Li, Eric Lu, Ryan Onatzevitch and Diane Yang. The commended students are Pranav Burugula, Cooper Molloy, Christopher Perrino, Janani Rajadurai and Kenny Zhang.

The semifinalists are among approximately 16,000 students chosen from 1.6 million who took last year’s PSAT, the qualifying test for the scholarships, according to a district spokesperson. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be offered next spring.

“To have 12 National Merit Semifinalists and Commended Students representing Yorktown is remarkable, and it is a great source of pride for our entire school community,” said Superintendent Dr. Ronald Hattar.

Yorktown senior Pranav Burugula credited Yorktown’s teaching with his own success and that of his peers.

“Tests like the PSAT are really testing critical thinking skills,” he said. “Yorktown schools prepare you well for that because teachers don’t just focus on content like formulas, they focus on why you do something. We learn to think critically and analyze.”

Senior Roopa Duvvi also spoke about critical thinking skills and said that Yorktown students benefit from the diverse course offerings including honors and advanced placement classes.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship.

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Photo caption: The 12 students recognized as semifinalists and commended students by the National Merit Scholarship program are, from left, Christopher Perrino, Eric Lu, Cooper Molloy, Caitlyn Ferrante, Diane Yang, Roopa Duvvi, Jasmine Laber, Janani Rajadurai, Pranav Burugula, Kenny Zhang and Ryan Onatzevitch. Not pictured are Tracey Li and Kevin Fink. Photo credit: Yorktown Central School District.