Seymour High School recently received notification from National Merit Scholarship Corporation that senior Elise Hartung has been named as one of 16,000 semifinalists in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
These academically talented high school seniors will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth $28 million.
More than 1.3 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Qualifying Test.
The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.
To become a finalist, the semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment and honors and awards received.
From more than 16,000 semifinalists, 15,000-plus are expected to advance to the finalist level, and in February, they will be notified of this designation. Every finalist will compete for one of 2,500 $2,500 National Merit Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-represented basis.
“Seymour High School is very proud of Elise,” Principal Greg Prange said. “Her academics, school and community activities and leadership skills have set the bar very high for those to follow. We wish her the best of luck as she moves to the next level in the National Merit Scholarship Program.”