Thirteen seniors are competing for National Merit Scholarships, a prestigious annual academic competition that awards scholarships to high-achieving students, Principal Dr. Barbara Georges reported in a weekly newsletter from April 5.

Last year, current seniors had an opportunity to participate in the beginning process of earning a National Merit Scholarship to their future universities, starting with the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, a designation awarded only to the uniform October test that high schools across the nation can choose to offer. Now some have become the top one percent, the final stage in the possibility of being granted merit, senior Ian Chiu said. The 13 finalists are seniors Caspar Chen, Selma Farhan, Vahan Harabetian, Nathaniel Hjelmgren, Aleeza Khan, Justin Kim, David Kozdoy, Sophia Lim, Gregory Reis, Roshan Shah, Alan Weeks, Myles Yiu, and Ian Chiu.

“I was definitely happy,” Chiu said. “It felt like I was on track, it calmed a couple of my worries or doubts.”

The process begins with an optional PSAT examination, which in 2024, over 1.3 million students, or eight percent of all students, took, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Results determine if students will continue into the following rounds. Half of the students who took the original test are waiting to hear if they receive scholarships, with 6,930 total recipients, or 0.004 percent of everyone who applied, across the country, according to NMSC. The complete application lasts around 18 months after submitting a test score, according to NMSC. Becoming a finalist helped Farhan reach higher, Farhan said.

“South is a school with many bright kids, and knowing that I was in a pool with so many of them in this position made me feel more able than before,” Farhan said.

With no minimum grade point average (GPA) requirements, anyone enrolled in high school for four years is eligible for scholarship, although National Merit officials have the ability to look at students’ GPA for immense consideration and hold high expectations for applicants regarding grades, according to NMSC. The process of earning a National Merit Scholarship requires a personal essay on one’s accomplishments and goals, Chiu said.

“It definitely helped me stay motivated, especially during junior year and the first half of senior year,” Chiu said.

There is also a range of scholarships offered, starting at $500 and going to $10,000, depending on the type of scholarship and criteria met, according to NMSC.

Kim used the news of becoming a finalist as a benchmark for his future plans and to prevent senior slide, a period of lack of motivation for late seniors, he said.

“I believe in the sentiment that one test does not define you,” Kim said. “At the same time, it does somewhat accurately capture a lot of your strengths in terms of academic skills.”