Seniors Qualify for National Merit Scholarships
Photos Courtesy of Faith Kim, Miachanel Nguyen, Parth Shisode, Rachel Yang, Noah Kim, Joon Choi, Raksha Rajeshmohan, Mint Tan, Luke Shen, Saihajveer Gulati, Matthew Wong, Wesley Tjangnaka, Ashley Presnell and Brendon Mye
Seniors Faith Kim, Miachanel Nguyen, Parth Shisode, Rachel Yang, Noah Kim, Joon Choi, Raksha Rajeshmohan, Mint Tan, Luke Shen, Saihajveer Gulati, Matthew Wong, Wesley Tjangnaka, Ashley Presnell and Brendon Mye are among the top 1% of PSAT/NSMQT scorers (not pictured are Paul Morenkov, Ethan Hung and Jonathan Notarangelo).
Seventeen seniors who received top scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test in October 2019 were selected as National Merit semifinalists.
Seniors Joon Choi, Saihajveer Gulati, Ethan Hung, Faith Kim, Noah Kim, Paul Morenkov, Brendon Mye, Miachanel Nguyen, Jonathan Notarangelo, Ashley Presnell, Raksha Rajeshmohan, Luke Shen, Parth Shisode, Mint Tan, Wesley Tjangnaka, Matthew Wong and Rachel Yang all qualified.
“I was definitely shocked because going into it, I didn’t know what National Merit was,” Tjangnaka said. “I had no expectations during the test.”
They join fewer than 1% of test takers nationwide qualifying for this distinction who will compete for scholarships worth $2,500, along with additional scholarships sponsored by corporations and colleges, according to a press release from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
“I don’t think we can necessarily pinpoint a specific type of student that would qualify,” counselor Nicole Epres said. “It could go back to being a really good test taker, but also doing really well in school as far as English and math.”
To become Finalists, students selected as semifinalists must submit an application containing their academic record, co-curricular and extracurricular activities, awards and honors and an essay detailing a meaningful life experience, according to the National Merit Scholarship Program website.
“We got an email about it a week before it was announced, but I didn’t check my email,” Tjangnaka said. “One of my friends, Luke, who also got it, texted me congratulations… I was really confused, then I found out that [the list] was posted online.”
Students typically receive their Selection Index scores, which are calculated from an aggregate of scaled scores from the PSAT/NSMQT’s four sections, midway through their junior year. To qualify as a semifinalist, students must exceed the cutoff scores from their respective states.
The National Merit semifinalist cutoffs for every U.S. state have decreased from last year, with California having the second-highest cutoff score in the nation of 221 points.
“[I was] a little surprised,” senior Faith Kim said. “I knew my index score, but I didn’t know if it was going to be high enough.”
The full list of this year’s National Merit semifinalists from California can be found here.
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Ryan Jung is the co-managing editor of the Portola Pilot. He is looking forward to working in the newsroom three times a week and communicating with Pilot...
