Seniors Rachel Joseph, Nathan Turvey and Ian Weatherman were designated National Merit Scholarship Finalists in late February. These students represent less than one percent of U.S high school seniors and are among the top 95% of Semifinalists to earn this designation, according to the district.

All National Merit Scholarships will be selected from the pool of finalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which awards merit-based academic scholarships to eligible seniors who scored in the top one percent on the PSAT/NMSQT exam in junior year and passed through multiple stages of application requirements. 

Regardless of the associated opportunities, Joseph appreciates that the award acknowledges academic achievement.

“It feels like a kind of recognition or validation for the work I put in throughout high school to take higher level classes that gave me more knowledge,” Joseph said. 

In addition to a title, being a National Merit Finalist allows for a chance to reduce the cost of secondary education. Like his fellow winners, Turvey wants to use this benefit, in his case, for studying engineering. 

“The hard work paid off from studying for the PSAT and then writing the essays, and then I’m hoping I can get some good scholarship money wherever I go for this,” Turvey said. 

Turvey advises future applicants to put significant effort into preparing for the qualifying test, the PSAT/NMSQT. 

“Start studying early. The earlier you study, the better you review what you don’t know, take practice tests, and practice questions,” Turvey said. “That’s the best thing you can do, because that helps you be prepared. Then you feel less stressed. You feel more comfortable while you’re taking the test.”

While the winners are all highly accomplished students, their lives and impact on the school can’t be completely encapsulated in a test score or a news story. For Weatherman, he aims to break down stereotypes.

“Nerds get this image of them being closed off and very antisocial and wanting to do nothing but get good grades,” Weatherman said. “ I try to go against that and be more of a personality, more outgoing, more of a person that people feel like they want to be around. Not just because I can give them the answers or something, but because I make them feel like they’re friends.”