Nine Students Earn National Merit Honors

Posted Date: 06/03/2020

October 3, 2018—An Amarillo High School senior has been named a Semifinalist in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. Sawyer Archer advances in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million.

In addition to Sawyer Archer as a semifinalist, eight other AISD seniors were named National Merit Commended students. They are Linh Vo from Palo Duro High School; Morgan Abbruscato, Truman Archer, Casey Ellis, Adley Gray, Abigail Terrell, and Kristen Worley from Amarillo High; and Lucas Creery from Tascosa High.

More than 1.6 million juniors from 22,000 high schools entered the 2019 program by taking the 2017 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).  Semifinalists represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and are the highest-scoring entrants in each state. Commended students do not continue in the 2019 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, but are considered to be among the top 50,000 scorers of students who took the 2017 PSAT/NMSQT.

"In AISD, all 10^th and 11th-grade students take the PSAT for free. Not only is it the entry point into the prestigious National Merit program, but offering the test at no cost is one tool we use to help students become college-ready which is one step toward preparing them for life and success beyond high school," said Tracey Morman, Director of Counseling/College & Career Readiness.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship, Sawyer Archer must fulfill several requirements to move on to the Finalist level of the competition. National Merit Finalists will be announced in February, with scholarship winners who’ve earned the Merit Scholar title announced beginning in April.