Washington High School senior McKenna Jacquin has been named among the approximately 16,000 Semifinalists nationwide in the 66th Annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million that will be offered in the spring.
McKenna Jacquin is the daughter of Gary and Ronda Jacquin. She holds a 4.0 grade-point average and is a member of National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Renaissance, the environmental club, theater, choir, and the WHS cross country team.
Chemistry is her favorite subject in school, and she’s planning to continue studying it in college as a Pre-Med student. She hasn’t decided where she’ll attend, but Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., would be her dream choice.
To be considered for the merit Scholarship, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition.
The semifinalists were chosen based on their scores in last fall’s Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, taken by about 1.5 million high school juniors. They represent less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors.
About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to be named finalists, based on scores, academic and extracurricular records, recommendations and essays. Finalists will be notified in February.
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. The student 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 qualifying test.
Some of the finalists will win a scholarship, either a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship or a merit scholarship sponsored by a college or corporation.
Washington High School senior McKenna Jacquin is among the approximately 16,000 Semifinalists nationwide in the 66th Annual National Merit Scholarship Program.