Addison Trail senior named as Semifinalist in 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program

Addison Trail senior Fawzan Ali (pictured above) has been named as a Semifinalist in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) recently announced the names of about 16,000 Semifinalists, who have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million that will be offered this spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition.

More than 1.5 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools entered the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and his or her high school must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment and honors and awards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official and write an essay.

For more information, go to https://tinyurl.com/y4bnfc69.