Five MMI Preparatory School seniors were recognized as Semifinalists or Commended Students in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Ali Aijaz, Anirban Chowdhury, Allison McGeehan and Nicholas Young were among a national field of just 16,000 students to be named Semifinalists, while Samuel Sessock was among only 34,000 individuals who were selected as Commended Students in the 62nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
As Semifinalists, Ali Aijaz, Anirban Chowdhury, Allison McGeehan and Nicholas Young have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth about $33 million that will be offered next spring. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. As a Commended Student, Samuel Sessock placed among the top five percent of the 1.6 million then-juniors in more than 22,000 high schools who entered the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2015 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. “We’re very proud to have five outstanding seniors recognized by the National Merit Scholarship program and commend these students for their hard work throughout their high school careers,” said MMI College Admissions Counselor Stephanie Shandra Sweitnicki.
To become a Finalist, Semifinalists must submit a detailed scholarship application including information on their academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. The student must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.
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.
Ali Aijaz is the son of Fakhruddin and Dr. Naghma Aijaz, Mountaintop; Anirban Chowdhury is the son of Bhaskar and Saumitri Chowdhury, Hazle Township; Allison McGeehan is the daughter of Thomas and Sandra McGeehan, Drums; Samuel Sessock is the son of Jennifer and James Denion, Freeland, and the late John Sessock; and Nicholas Young is the son of Christian and Nicole Young, Freeland.
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