National Merit semifinalists introduced at school board meeting

October 18, 2024 Bob Bakken

A group of DeSoto County School District (DCS) students were introduced during Thursday’s Board of Education meeting as National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSP) semifinalists. They are among about 16,000 students across the nation who have earned the recognition.

The National Merit Scholarship Program says these students made the cut to be able to continue in competition for one of 6,870 scholarships totaling more than $25 million to be awarded in the spring. Of the 16,000 students now considered semifinalists, NMSP said about 15,000 of that number are expected to become finalists for the scholarships.

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. 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 qualifying test.

Following are the semifinalists recognized by DeSoto County Schools on Thursday: