Bethesda Area Students Named National Merit Scholar Semifinalists

BETHESDA, MD — Twenty-five students from the Bethesda-Chevy Chase area have been named semifinalists in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. They are among the 16,000 semifinalists nationwide announced Wednesday who will have the opportunity to advance in the competition to earn scholarships worth more than $30 million.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements.

Students are judged on their academic record, demonstrated leadership abilities, school and community activities, employment, and honors and awards. They must also be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, and write an essay.

Here are the semifinalists from the Bethesda-Chevy Chase area:

BETHESDA-CHEVY CHASE H.S.

• Claire A. Edmonds
• Eleanor M. Fairbanks
• Sofia G. Fontana
• Maya L. Kessner
• Frances D. Rosen
• Hailey Z. Sobel
• Sarah S. Sparling
• John V. Stocker
• Teagan E. Tsui-Rosen

FRENCH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

• Thomas M. Latendresse

HOLTON-ARMS SCHOOL

• Kelsey E. Frederick
• Isabella M. Motsco
• Ema Nakayama
• Irene Y. Qi
• Eleanor S. Tucker

WALTER JOHNSON H.S.

• Evan L. Calhoun
• Ella M. Gaul
• Beri S. Gershwind
• Linnea C. Hultman
• Sachin V. Kammula
• Moinak Nath

LANDON SCHOOL

• Kyle C. Radimer

WALT WHITMAN H.S.

• Rhea Bhattacharjee
• Marc A. Blitz
• Kaya Ginsky
• Emily M. London
• Susan B. Rodgers
• Rachel E. Scissors
• Jacob M. Spector
• Benjamin M. Waldman
• Kushan S. Weerakoon

Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of next year.

Each finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis.

About 1,000 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by some 220 corporations and business organizations for finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor's employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located.

Approximately 180 colleges and universities are expected to finance roughly 4,100 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.

Winners will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and ending in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 353,000 other young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.