The National Merit scholarship is given through a program called the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. This program awards a scholarship to a senior going to high school in the United States, based on their Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (PSAT) score from their junior year.
This scholarship is made to help students with the struggle of paying for the college tuition to go to the top universities in the country. This organization is a nonprofit which is run without the assistance of the government, making it independent.
This year’s semifinalists at Aliso Niguel are, Garrett McCormick (12), Molei Zhong (12), Arav Mody (12) and Ishan Kumar (12), their PSAT score ranged from a 1500 to a 1520.
All four semifinalists found out they were named National Merit Semifinalists through the Orange County register where they released an article including the list of names of the semifinalists in Orange County.
When asked how he studied for the PSAT Kumar said, “I studied for the PSAT by studying for the SAT. I started over summer and I was studying by doing Khan Academy’s SAT course and then I did a Blue Book practice test through college board.”
In order to keep a consistent studying routine Kumar says, “ I just studied a few hours every week, nothing crazy, and just being consistently practicing.”
When asked which teachers helped to shape his academic journey Zhong responded with, “Mrs. Anderson, my AP Lang teacher from last year.”
He goes on to say, “Halfway through the year I had a not so great time mentally and I kind of stopped doing a lot of my work, but Mrs. Anderson was really patient with me and gave me lots of opportunites to make up work.”
Many teachers from Aliso helped to continue these talented students down the road to success, whether that be answering their questions or being there for the students along the way to make sure they are being successful and receiving the help they need.
In order to stay motivated Mody says, “Thinking about the end, applying to college, if you do well on the PSAT you have a chance at a scholarship, if you do good on the SAT, you increase your chances of admission. Seeing the end goal is what keeps me motivated.”
These four students excelled in not only academics, but also through extracurricular activities such as school clubs, sports, volunteer work and more.
McCormick says, “I didn’t necessarily set any pressures on myself to do well, I’m just like, oh I’m gonna try my best.”
He believes that the most important advice is to not have the idea that you need to do well.
McCormick says, “At the same time you want to pressure yourself to do well, but don’t expect yourself to do well, don’t demand [of] yourself anything.”
The Nation Merit Scholarship has already had a big impact on these students, being a semifinalists truly shows their dedication to reach for the unlimited possibilities. Receiving this scholarship can change the future of the candidate by allowing them to go to a more expensive school and pursue the career of their dreams.
Being a semifinalist is more than just an academic achievement, it is a recognition of years of dedication and a milestone that opens doors to future opportunities. For these students, it is both an honor and a reminder of how hard work can shape their future.
