Mira Costa Students To Compete For National Merit Scholarship

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach fielded 12 students who have qualified as semifinalists for a National Merit Scholarship, an academic competition for recognition and college scholarships that began in 1955. United States high school students enter

the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit
Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which serves as an initial screen of over 1.5 million entrants each year, and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements.

The 12 Mira Costa students are among 16,000 nationwide who were announced as semifinalists on Sept. 9, and are now in the running for 7,600 scholarships worth more than $30 million. In February, students who move on as finalists will be announced. Later this month, another 34,000 of the 50,000 students who were "high scorers" will receive word of "commendation" status.

The Mira Costa High School National Merit Scholarship semifinalists for 2021 are

• Brandon M. Bui
• Owen A. Campbell
• Lauren Chiu
• Shane P. Foley
• William T. Gerken
• Audrey E. Lee
• Nicolas M. Lee
• Bryce C. Li
• Max W. Riley
• Alexandra L. Runnels
• Megan K. Shintaku
• Caleb H. Wallis

Only four schools in Los Angeles County had more students qualify as semifinalists than Mira Costa. Harvard-Westlake in Studio City had 39 students; La Canada High School in La Canada Flintridge had 15; Diamond Bar High School in Diamond Bar had 16, and Arcadia High School in Arcadia had 21 students qualify as semifinalists.