The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced that BBA senior Emily Williams has been selected as a semifinalists in the 61st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. This means she is an academically talented high school senior that will have an opportunity to continue in the competition where some 7,400 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million will be offered next spring.
Emily is an athlete, musician and scholar as well as member of the Student Council and National Honor Society and serves as a Freshman Mentor. Emily is a captain of the Varsity Cross-Country team and also competes on the Nordic Skiing and Track teams. Emily was selected to play in the VT All-State Orchestra and was runner-up in the 2015 Vermont Poetry Out-Loud competition. This past summer, Emily interned at the Greater Northshire Access Television and worked for the Manchester Music Festival.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 440 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.
To become a finalist, the semifinalist and his or her high school must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. 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.
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