7 National Merit Semifinalists For Westlake High

WESTLAKE, OH — Seven members of the Westlake High School class of 2018 have named National Merit Semifinalists, the school system announced this week. The students represent the 1 percent of students that performed exceptionally well on both the PSAT and SAT.

The seven Westlake seniors to receive the designation are: Julia Aylward, Steven Brewer, Samantha Giusto, Ryan Karpuszka, Patrick Lee, Jack Wu and Kyle Yu. The Westlakers 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.

“Congratulations to Westlake’s seven National Merit Semifinalists,” said Superintendent Scott Goggin. “They demonstrate the dedication to academic excellence and enthusiasm for learning that we foster in our students. I wish them the best of luck in the next phase of the National Merit Program.”

How does Westlake compare to neighboring schools? The Demons have the most Semifinalists in the Southwestern Conference and the second most of neighboring school districts, public and private, the school says. (To stay up to date on these stories, subscribe to the Patch Westlake newsletter. As news breaks and the story develops, you will be the first to receive updates from Patch.)

Those students 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 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 Westlake Schools