3 Walnut Creek Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

WALNUT CREEK, CA — The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of over 16,000 semifinalists in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, including three students in Walnut Creek. Fewer than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors are chosen as semifinalists in the prestigious competition.

The students are competing for 7,250 scholarships worth nearly $28 million to be awarded in multiple rounds next spring and summer.

These semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and about half of them will go on to win a National Merit Scholarship.

The next step for the semifinalists and their schools is to submit a detailed scholarship application that includes their academic records, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards they've received. The student must also earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm their earlier performance on the qualifying test.

The scholarships are underwritten by National Merit's own funds and by approximately 340 business organizations, colleges and universities.

Semifinalists entered the competition as juniors by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen for entrants. The number of semifinalists in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

Finalists will be notified in February.

Here is a list of Walnut Creek's semifinalists for 2023:

• Matthew Lee

• Elane Kim

• Bogdan Yaremenko