Two Shaker Heights Students Named National Merit Scholars

SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH — Two Shaker Heights High seniors have been named National Merit Scholars. Sarah Grube and Jocelyn Ting will receive a pair of $2,500 scholarships for their efforts.

According to information provided to Patch by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, Grube intends to study music in college. Ting wants to pursue a career in materials engineering.

How impressive is winning a National Merit Scholarship? Let's examine how these two young women got to where they are.

The competition to become a National Merit Scholarhip winner actually started in October 2016 when approximately 1.6 million high school juniors took the PSAT. That test was the initial screening process for students in the contest. Only the best PSAT performers would advance.

In fall 2017, the highest-scoring PSAT test takers in each state were named Semifinalists on a state-representational basis. Less than one percent of test takers nationwide were named Semifinalists.

From that group, only 16,000 Semifinalists were given the opportunity to continue in the National Merit Scholarship competition.

To become Finalists, students had to submit an essay, get an endorsement from their principal, submit their SAT scores and provide a record of their participation in school and community activities. Another 1,000 students were eliminated in the transition from Semifinalist to Finalist status.

About 7,500 Finalists will earn the title Merit Scholar. Grube and Ting will be among that elite group.

Congratulations to those two Shaker Heights High seniors!

Photo from Google Earth