Thirty-two Mason High School students have been named National Merit Semifinalists through the sixty-fifth annual National Merit Scholarship Competition for 2020.
Priya Bandaru, Emma C. Bishop, Leon Chang, Pranav Cherukuri, June Chung, Nicholas H. Comatas, Siddarth R. Dasari, Yash G. Deshpande, Eric J. Enouen, Ishana S. Galgali, Naomie Gao, Lily M. Geiser, Jack P. Gerus, Christine J. Giberson, Shreya Gundavarpu, Andrea Hefferan, Claire Z. Hu, Nina K. Kisanga, Jacquelyn A. Kraimer, Alexandra I. Madaras, Tanushri Madichetti, Grace C. Marten, Maanasa Mendu, Sruthi Parthasarathi, Ashka Shah, Lucas Shen, Eric Sun, Anusha Vadlamani, Sai Soumya Vytla, Jessica X. Wang, Christopher J. Zhang, Grace T. Zhang are all National Merit Semifinalists. They are among the approximate 16,000 of the nation's top students, less than one percent of high school seniors nationally, who will go on to compete for the prestigious National Merit Scholarships. In February 2020, the Semifinalists will be notified whether they have advanced to Finalist standing. Corporate, college, and National Merit scholarships will then be awarded to finalists between April and July 2020.
MHS Principal Bobby Dodd congratulated the students on their accomplishment. “We are so very proud of these students' accomplishments, and join their families, educators, and community in celebrating this important achievement that will open additional doors for them in the future."
The students will be recognized by the Board of Education on October 22.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a prestigious academic competition for recognition and scholarship that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program as juniors by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test --a test which serves as an initial screen of more than 1.5 million entrants each year -- and by meeting additional program requirements.