Based on the results of the 2008 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, seniors Cristina Brea and Alexandra Henriques were named Semifinalists in the 55th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Brea and Henriques are two of approximately 16,000 students nationwide who earned the highest test scores in each state. They will now have an opportunity to compete for some 8,200 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $36 million, which will be offered next spring.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955, specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC, with its own funds, and by approximately 500 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.
To see the clipping, which appeared in The Miami Herald click HERE