Spotlight on Education: Four Manatee District Seniors Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

BRADENTON – Four Manatee District seniors have been named semifinalists in the academically prestigious 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,400 National Merit Scholarships, worth about $32 million that will be offered next spring.

The 2016 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists from the Manatee District are:

Hannah Figueras, Braden River High

Christopher J. Korda, Manatee High

Chris M. Lehman, Manatee High

Corbin W. Wood, Manatee High

About 1.5 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2014 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT¨), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less
than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.

From the approximately 16,000 Semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level, and in February they will be notified of this designation. 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.