3 Madison High School Students Named National Merit Semifinalists

MADISON, NJ — Three studetns at Madison High School have been named a semifinalist in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship program.

Yeongin Kwon, Yan Yan Li and Karen Wu are among the New Jersey students who have qualified for the next round of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation's national scholarship program.

More than 16,000 National Merit semifinalists are named nationwide, based on their scores on the PSAT. They are in the top 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors and scored the highest on the test in their state.

All selected students are competing for 7,250 scholarships totaling nearly $28 million, which will be awarded in multiple rounds over the spring and summer of next year.

To become a finalist for a National Merit Scholarship, the semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application that includes information about the student's academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received.

The student "must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test," the foundation says.

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 screening for entrants. The number of semifinalists in each state is proportional to the state's share of the national total of graduating seniors.

National Merit Scholarship winners of 2023 will be announced beginning in April and concluding in July.