Harrisburg School District

Officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) have announced more than 16,000 Semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. The list is drawn from over 1.3 million high school juniors who took the PSAT/NMSQT.

Included in the list of Semifinalists are Harrisburg High School seniors Kennedy Cauwels, David Munson, Zara (Chizaram) Nwadibia, Vera Okken, and Isaiah Patterson. These students will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for about 6,930 National Merit Scholarships, collectively worth nearly $26 million, that will be offered in the spring. Congratulations to these Tigers on this outstanding accomplishment! We are #TigerProud! 🐾

All winners of Merit Scholarship awards (Merit Scholar® designees) will be chosen from the Finalist group based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments—without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference. NMSC considers a variety of information: the Finalist’s academic record, details about the school’s curriculum and grading system, PSAT/NMSQT Selection Index score, a high school official’s recommendation, information about the student’s activities and leadership, and the Finalist’s own essay.