UPDATE: 2017 Nat’l Merit Semifinalists Named

(Submitted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation)

(Evanston, Ill.) Today, officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 62^nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These individuals have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7.500 National Merit Scholarships worth about $33 million that will be offered next spring.

From the approximately 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools, Johnston High School had seven students achieve the Semifinalists status this year. These students will submit a detailed scholarship application that includes their academic record, leadership and employment history, participation in school and community, personal essay and teacher recommendations. They will then take the SAT this fall to complete the final criteria for possible selection.

Our Johnston Dragon National Merit Semifinalists are:

: Peter Beebe

: Afshan Chandani

: Grant Fuhr

: Nicole Hobson

: Justin Hu

: Xiao Liu* Ms. Liu is currently an early college entrant at USC and her finalist standing will be reviewed upon receipt of her final transcript from USC. If she meets all criteria, she will be a National Merit Finalist as well.

: Nathan Zoss

Congratulations to these outstanding students.

Read the full Semifinalists in the 2017 National Merit^® Scholarship Program news release.