Two Mentor High Students Named National Merit Finalists

Two students, Emily Penkowski and Kevin Nguyen, are National Merit Scholarship Finalists.

They have earned a place among 15,000 elite graduating seniors from all around the country.

Penkowski is an artist who has been featured in the Lakeland Community College . She is also a member of the , , Model United Nations, National Honor Society and Girl Scouts of America.

Nguyen has been recognized as an outstanding student in three different subjects during Mentor High's annual underclassmen awards. In 2011, he was named one of the outstanding AP Chemistry students. In 2010, he was recognized as the sophomore class's outstanding English and mathematics pupil.

He is also a member of the Science Olympiad Team, National Honor Society, Speech and Debate Team and Chamber Orchestra.

About 50 percent of finalists receive a scholarship through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

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, according to NMSC.

Additionally, about 1,000 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by about 240 corporations and business organizations for finalists who meet their specified criteria -- for example, students who are children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located.

In addition, about 200 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,800 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who will attend that college or university.

National Merit Scholarship winners of 2012 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July.