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Seven AISD Students Earn National Merit Scholarship Honors


Posted Date: 12/03/2021

Seven AISD Students Earn National Merit Scholarship Honors

December 3, 2021— Seven Amarillo ISD high school seniors earned scholar honors on their PSAT scores. Raegan Tucker, of Amarillo High School, received the highest honor of the group in the Amarillo area as a semifinalist in the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Tucker advances in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million.

AISD’s honorees include:

2022 National Merit Semifinalist

  • Raegan Tucker, Amarillo High School

2022 National Merit Commended

  • Danielle Arias, Amarillo High School

  • Briley Barnes, Amarillo High School

  • Patrick Daly-Williams, Amarillo High School

  • Kegan Hero, Tascosa High School

  • Rohit Saralaya, Amarillo High School

  • Jacie Sellars, Amarillo High School

“Colleges look at students who are Commended, Semifinalist and Finalist as top achieving students. Many elite private colleges and universities have automatic admission policies for these students and also offer significant scholarship programs. Students can receive access to honors only programs and classes, as well,” said Tracey Morman, Director of Counseling/College & Career Readiness.

High school juniors entered the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2020 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. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalists 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® or ACT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

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. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.