Fourteen high school seniors in the Capistrano Unified School District have been selected as National Merit Scholarship finalists, making them eligible to compete for some 8,300 financial awards worth more than $34 million.
The finalists are:
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- Amanda Buckingham
- Rohit Kolar
- Katherine McGauley
- Andrew Pham,
- Devin Trabant
- Christopher Healy
- Nicholas Burakoff
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- Vicki Lau
- Ryan Song
- Jamasb Sayadi
- Clay Coleman
- Alexandra Ivanov
- Brian Le
- Ryan Yoo
“These students have worked hard and proven themselves academically,” said Superintendent Joe Farley in a written statement. “This honor recognizes their hard work and dedication to academic excellence. While we recognize these students, I also want to thank their parents and teachers for providing the support and environment of academic success and high expectation necessary to produce such quality students.”
These students are among some 15,000 to advance to the finalist round of the national competition. More than half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the National Merit Scholar title. All winners are selected based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments–without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.
Last year, 11 CUSD students were eventually named National Merit Scholars.
About 1.5 million juniors in some 22,000 high schools entered the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants.
Scholarship winners will be announced this spring and summer.
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