HHS Senior Named National Merit Semifinalist
Hutto High School senior Adam Wassilchalk has been named to the prestigious list of Semifinalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program, announced this week by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
Wassilchalk is one of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 63rd annual program. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition.
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.
"Adam has been a standout student for us since he entered HHS,” said Hutto High School Principal, Roy Christian. “He is obviously a remarkable student, but he also excels in our Theater program as Stage Manager of One Act Play and is just an excellent young man. This is a great recognition of not just his performance but also shows the great potential that he has and the great things his future holds for him."
About 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2016 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.
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.