Seven Mansfield ISD students are among the less than 1% of high school students to be named semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and college scholarships. Scholars earn the distinction of semifinalist based on their top scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

Out of more than 1.6 million entrants nationwide, only 16,000 students are selected as semifinalists. In February, 15,000 of those students will be named finalists. About half of those finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship worth thousands of dollars.

Congratulations to MISD’s semifinalists:

• Aaron Libed - Lake Ridge High School
• Ashley Chuong - Lake Ridge High School
• Chace Moncrief - Lake Ridge High School
• Vivian Nguyen - Lake Ridge High School
• Yunah Song - Legacy High School
• Velin Kojouharov - Mansfield High School
• Dylan Nanney - Mansfield High School

“Being a semifinalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program is a big deal, and we’re proud of these students for achieving some of the highest scores in the nation on their PSAT,” said Dr. Sean Scott, associate superintendent of curriculum, instruction and accountability. “Their hard work has definitely paid off, and I hope they can continue in the competition to earn scholarships that will help fund their higher education.”

Semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program 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.

The academically talented high school seniors are selected based on their skills, accomplishments and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin or religious preference.

The National Merit Scholarship Program was founded in 1955 to identify and honor scholastically talented American youth and to encourage them to develop their abilities to the fullest. Learn more about the program.