Eighteen Diamond Bar High School students have been distinguished as 2019 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.
Congratulations to the following teens who have been recognized for demonstrating exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies:
The Brahma Semifinalists are Grace Ge, Samantha Hong, Wesley Ip, Christine Lee, Ryan Li, Amy Miyahara, Isaac No, Ashley Pang, Phoebe Scaccia, Andrew Seo, Alice Wang, Yuwen Wang, Keith Wong, Ted Yarmoski, Timothy Yeh, Angela Zhang, Catherine Zhang, and Christine Zhou.
“We are extremely proud of these 33 seniors for receiving this nationwide honor!” said Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor.
“This level of success is a testament to the caliber of educational experience they are receiving at our high schools each and every day.”
More than 1.6 million students entered the Merit Program as juniors by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
High scorers were designated semifinalists, representing less than 1% of the state’s graduating class.
In total, just over 16,000 talented seniors qualified nationwide.
These students will continue to compete for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships that will be offered in the spring.
The WVUSD senior scholars will advance to the finalist level upon completion of additional requirements.
They must maintain an outstanding academic record throughout their senior year, be endorsed and recommended by their principal, submit SAT scores that confirm their earlier qualifying test, and complete an essay and scholarship application detailing their leadership and community activities.
The 2019 National Merit Scholarships will be awarded beginning in April and concluding in July.