Eleven University School of Milwaukee (USM) seniors have been named Semifinalists in the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Competition, representing 12 percent of the USM Class of 2014.
Congratulations to Aaron Bickert, Julia Hanson, Joseph Harris, John Hiller, Klara Kobylinski, Charlotte Kovach, Derek Rott, Benjamin Sampson, Jason Seter, Emily Waples, and Benjamin Zaydman.
About 1.5 million juniors entered the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2012 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, with less than one percent receiving recognition as Semifinalists. These students have the opportunity next spring to compete for some 8,000 National Merit Scholarships worth about $35 million. To be considered for a scholarship, students must advance to the Finalist level of the competition. Winners are chosen based academic record, SAT scores, extracurricular and leadership experience, recommendations, and an essay.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation also recognized five USM seniors Thursday, honoring them for their exceptional academic promise demonstrated by their outstanding performance on the qualifying test used for program entry, the 2012 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Congratulations to Griffin Damron, Brooke Hopkins, Guilia Ricca, Dominique Tlomak, and Megan Waples.
Additionally, senior Olivia Williamson has been named a Semifinalist in the National Achievement Scholarship Program, which recognizes outstanding accomplishment among black high school students. Semifinalists have the opportunity to continue in the competition towards Finalist status and vie for approximately 800 Achievement Scholarships worth nearly $2.5 million.
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