Congrats to the National Merit Semifinalists

Drake seniors Anna Knowles and Samuel McLaughlin were among the 16,000 National Merit Semifinalists announced Wednesday nationwide.

To qualify as a National Merit Semifinalist, students take the PSAT during thier sophomore year and must be among highest-scoring students in California. Less than one percent of all students who take the test are selected in the nationwide pool of semifinalists.

Students then progress on to Finalist status and compete for National Merit Scholarships, administered by the nonprofit National Merit Scholarship Corporation, by completing an application, essay and recommendations that demonstrate their leadership and excellence in academics and activities.

From Branson School in Ross, Eliel Anttila, Puneeth Gandangi, Jeffrey Liu, Kennedy McCone, Takatoki Migimatsu, Jason Risch and Samantha Steele also qualified as National Merit Semifinalists.

Congratulations to all the semifinalists!