Schools
Pasadena Area Boasts 16 National Merit Semifinalists
Students enrolled in high schools in the Pasadena area will compete to become National Merit Finalists.
More than a dozen high school seniors in Pasadena have been named 2013 National Merit Semifinalists, the nonprofit National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced Wednesday in a news release.
Here are the Pasadena semifinalists:
La Salle High SchoolBenjamin C. Dalgarn
Pasadena High School
Samuel A. Muthiab
Polytechnic High School
Julia G. Alison
Erik J. Chan
Anisha G. Cook
John-Michael D'Andrea
Jessica L. Jin
Noah Y. Kim
Erin S. Lee
Harrison D. Templeton
Emily L. Woolway
Shannon Y. Wu
Hsin-Ho E. Yang
Jimmy Zhou
St. Monica Academy
Gabriel Johnson
Westridge School for Girls
Jacqueline Pai
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They will compete for about 8,300 scholarships worth more than a total $32 million. About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to make it to the finals; just more than half of the finalists will win a scholarship.
The students will be judged by their scores on standardized tests, their grades, an essay and extracurricular activities.
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Semifinalists were determined by their scores on the 2012 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which they took as 11th graders. Only those who scored in the top 1 percent of their state were named semifinalists.
About 1.5 million high school juniors took the PSAT/NMSQT last year.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation was established in 1955 to conduct the National Merit Scholarship Program, according to a news release from the nonprofit organization. The scholarships are provided by the organization and about 440 businesses and educational institutions.
—City News Service contributed to this report.
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