Grossmont Student Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist

Approximately 1.5 million high school juniors take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Out of those students, 16,000 were named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists and from those, only one hails from La Mesa-area schools – Elizabeth Ryder, from Grossmont.

Besides just having a high score, a semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test, according to a press release form the National Merit Scholarship Program.

The academically-talented high schoolers, who are now seniors, have an opportunity to continue in the competition for 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million.

Winners will be announced beginning in April. Good luck to Elizabeth.