2 National Semifinalists For Avon High School

AVON, OH — The National Merit Scholarship organization recently announced the National Merit Semifinalists for the class of 2018. Avon High School has two students who have earned that prestigious distinction.

Avon's two Semifinalists are Bhavya Appana and Ashley Granitto. The Avon students beat out 1.6 million students from 22,000 high schools across the nation. The Semifinalists will now have the opportunity to compete for $34 million in National Merit Scholarships.

Appana and Granitto will continue in the National Merit Scholarship competition. They will be able to compete for awards offered next spring as well as scholarships offered through colleges and corporations. (To stay up to date on local stories, subscribe to the Patch Avon-Avon Lake newsletter. As news breaks and the story develops, you will be the first to receive updates from Patch.)

Both Appana and Granitto are extremely accomplished and well-rounded students.

Appana has applied to University of Pittsburgh and Northwestern. She's a member of National Honor Society and student council at Avon High School. She's also a part of the school orchestra and was recently accepted to the Northeast Ohio Regional Orchestra and has been selected for the OMEA All-State Orchestra.

Granitto is the president of the class of 2018, a member of the National Honor Society and part of student council. She wants to study computer science in college and has applied to Case Western Reserve University and Cornell.

To be named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists a student must submit a detailed application including information on their academic record, extracurriculars, employment, leadership abilities and other honors and awards received. The student must also get a recommendation letter from a faculty member, write an essay and earn a qualifying score on the SAT.

Photo from Avon Schools