2 PVPHS Seniors Named Achievement Scholarship Semifinalists

Two Palos Verdes Peninsula High School seniors are National Achievement Scholarship Program Semifinalists, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced Wednesday.

Charissa O. Iluore and Alexis C. Sears are two of more than 1,600 high school students competing for about 800 Achievement Scholarship awards, which recognize "academically promising black students throughout the nation," according to the NMSC. About 80 percent of the semifinalists are expected to become finalists, and more than half of the finalists will win an Achievement Scholarship.

To become finalists, semifinalists and their high schools submit detailed scholarship applications, including information about academic records, participation, community activities and educational goals; an essay; earn high SAT scores; and be endorsed by a high school official.

Finalists will be announced in January. More than $2.5 million has been set aside for this year's scholarships.

More than 160,000 high school juniors from across the United States entered the scholarship competition when the took the 2011 PSAT.