National Merit semifinalists named for 2023 competition

Three local students were recently named National Merit semifinalists.

They are Selah Conklin of Glacier High School, Matthew Causey of Whitefish High School and home-school student Andrew Hawken of Kila and are among 16,000 students to reach semifinalist status around the U.S., according to a press release.

The high school seniors entered the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying test as juniors. The PSAT/NMSQT serves as the initial screen of entrants.

About 95% of the semifinalists are expected to advance as finalists and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship. Winners will be announced during April through July.

To become a finalist, a semifinalist must submit a detailed application that provides information about the student’s academic record, school and community involvement, leadership abilities, employment and awards received. Additionally, students must have high SAT or ACT scores, write an essay and be recommended by a high school official.