Three Sheyenne High School Students Selected as National Merit® Scholarship Semifinalists
West Fargo, ND – (September 28, 2021) – The National Merit Scholarship Corporation recently announced the names of approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 67th annual National Merit Scholarships Program. Sheyenne High School’s Henry Christiansen, Krishna Kamalakannan, and Grace Widjaja are among those selected as semifinalists.
These academically talented high school seniors have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $30 million. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.
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. A semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT® or ACT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the PSAT. The finalists are selected in February, at which time they will become eligible for the National Merit Scholarships.
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