Wyoming Seminary Students Named National Merit Finalists

First row from left: Diya Das and Lauren Onofrey. Second row, from left: Jacob Cole, Molli Grossman, and Ben Cushing.

Five Wyoming Seminary seniors have been named Finalists in the 2008 National Merit Scholarship competition, said John Gordon, Dean of the Upper School.

Seniors Jacob Cole of Hanover Twp., Ben Cushing of Moscow, Diya Das of Wilkes-Barre, Molli Grossman of Shavertown and Lauren Onofrey of Waverly received Finalist honors.

They continue in the competition for about 8,200 Merit Scholarship Awards, worth $34 million, that will be offered this spring.           

National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the academic competition, is a privately financed, not-for-profit corporation. More than 1.4 million students in nearly 21,000 U.S. high schools entered the 2008 Merit Program when they were juniors by taking the 2005 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. Fewer than one percent of the nation’s high school seniors were named Finalists on a state representational basis.           

To become Finalists, students must earn Semifinalist status and must have an outstanding high school academic record, be endorsed and recommended by their school principal, and submit SAT scores that confirm their earlier qualifying test performance.         

About half of the Finalists will become Merit Scholarship winners. All Merit Scholar designees will be chosen from the Finalist group, without regard to race, gender, ethnic origin or religious preference.

Three types of Merit Scholarship awards will be offered in 2008. Every Finalist will be considered for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state representational basis.

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