Photos: 8 Local Students Named National Merit Semifinalists

About 1.5 million juniors in some 22,000 high schools across the country entered the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program, but only 16,000 were selected as semifinalists. Of these 16,000, eight hail from Shelby Township and Utica.

Among the semifinalists announced Sept. 14 in the 57th annual National Merit Scholarship Program were Sanders Aspelund and Jeffrey Carr, both students; Connie Gao and David Smellie of ; Joshua Barthel from the Utica Academy for International Studies and home-schooled teens Duncan Chapman-Anderson and Alayna Moury.

These select high school seniors will now compete for some 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $34 million.

Ninety percent of the semifinalists are expected to advance to the finalist level and more than half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship and earn the title of Merit Scholar.

Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2012:

• Every 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 approximately 240 corporations and business organizations for finalists who meet their specified criteria.
• About 200 colleges and universities will finance some 4,800 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.

The first National Merit Scholarship winners of 2012 will be announced in April. Awards will continue through July.