14 Solon High Students Named Commended Scholars

SOLON, OH — Fourteen Solon High students have been named Commended Scholars in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship program.

In late September, Solon Schools announced that 19 seniors were named semifinalists in the National Merit competition. That means, in total, 33 Solon High students have been recognized this year by the scholarship program.

“Having 33 seniors earn National Merit honors demonstrates the consistency in academic achievement at Solon High School,” Principal Erin Short said. “The high numbers of students recognized every year reflects the hard work and commitment of students and staff and the depth of achievement at Solon High School and throughout the Solon Schools.”

This year's Commended Solon Scholars are:

• Angad Dhillon,
• Derek Gill,
• Kayleigh Hill,
• Richard Jiang, Yash Kankariya,
• Kesav Kosana,
• Matthew Li,
• Karis Liu,
• Eric Nouafo,
• Nilima Patel,
• Marla Pinchot,
• Hao Qi,
• Kate Schuman and
• Pranav Sivaram.

Nationally, 34,000 high school students are recognized by the National Merit Scholarship program for "exceptional academic promise." These students must earn scores on the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test which are among the top 50,000 in the U.S.

The National Merit Scholarship Program issued the following statement on those recognized as Commended Scholars:

“Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success. These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”