2 ASFA Students From Vestavia Named National Merit Semifinalists

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Four Alabama School of Fine Arts seniors were recently named as National Merit Semifinalists including Trisha Bheemanathini and James Shi from Vestavia Hills. They are both in the Math-Science Department at ASFA.

They qualified as National Merit Semifinalists from among more than 1.5 million entrants nationwide who took the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

The nationwide pool of Semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

This is the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The academically talented high school seniors selected now have an opportunity to continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $30 million that 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. More than 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.