Encinitas Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

Approximately 1.5 million high school juniors take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Out of those students, 16,000 were named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists and from those, 14 hail from Encinitas-area schools.

Besides just having a high score, 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 scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test, according to a press release form the National Merit Scholarship Program.

The academically talented high school students, who are now seniors, have an opportunity to continue in the competition for 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million.

Winners will be announced beginning in April. 

Here's a list of students from the Encinitas area who will advance to the next round:

San Dieguito Academy

• Horen, Elliot A.
• Wu, Tonia R.

La Costa Canyon High School

• Hickok, Erin L.
• Lizerbram, Noah C.
• Satoda, David Y.
• Smith, Aaron H. 

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