Burke Area Students Named National Merit Semifinalists

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has announced its approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 64rd annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The list included 13 students from Burke area schools.

Over 1.6 million juniors from 22,000 high schools nationwide qualified for the 2019 competition by taking the 2017 Preliminary SAT (PSAT). Semifinalists must have an outstanding high school academic record, meet SAT score requirements, submit an essay and get a recommendation from a high school official. To advance to the finalist stage, semifinalists and his or her high school must submit an application detailing the academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership, employment and honors received. Scholars are chosen based on their skills, accomplishments and potential for success in college.

Here are the semifinalists from the Burke area:

• Dandashi, Fatimah Z.

• Brokamp, Lukas D.
• Grable, Samuel P.
• Kim, Ha-Young Flora
• Kim, Uriel
• Michaelsen, Katrin B.
• Mrini, Luke A.
• Smith, Corrissa L.
• Yoo, Ellen J.

JAMES W. ROBINSON SECONDARY SCHOOL

• Park, Jisoo
• Taft, Madeleine P.
• Tirre, Joseph

WEST SPRINGFIELD H. S.

• Heaton, Helen C.

Semifinalists will compete for 7,500 National Merit Scholarships totaling over $31 million. More than 90 percent of semifinalists will become finalists, and about half of these will end up with scholarships.

There are three types of National Merit Scholarships available: 2,500 scholarships sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation itself, 1,000 corporate-sponsored scholarships and an expected 4,000 college-sponsored scholarships. Winners will be announced from April through July 2019.

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