On September 14th, officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,250 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring.
The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit® Scholarship Program by taking preliminary SAT /National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Tests (PSAT/NMSQT®) – a test that serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.5 million entrants each year – and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements.
Finalists
In February, semifinalists will be notified by mail if they have advanced to Finalist standing.
Winner Selection
All winners of Merit Scholarship® awards (Merit Scholar® designees) are chosen from the Finalist group based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments—without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference. A variety of information is available for NMSC selectors to evaluate: the Finalist’s academic record, information about the school’s curricula and grading system, two sets of test scores, the high school official’s written recommendation, information about the student’s activities and leadership, and the Finalist’s own essay.
This year MLWGS has fourteen National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalists from the Class of 2023, nine from Henrico, three from Chesterfield, and two from Hanover.
| Chen, Jennifer | Henrico | NMSC Semifinalist |
| Eisenhauer, Will | Henrico | NMSC Semifinalist |
| Fang, Sean | Chesterfield | NMSC Semifinalist |
| Heckel, Carleigh | Hanover | NMSC Semifinalist |
| Johnson, Amelia | Henrico | NMSC Semifinalist |
| Marks, Walter Sutton | Hanover | NMSC Semifinalist |
| Mital, Anmol | Henrico | NMSC Semifinalist |
| Muthusamy, Shreyas | Henrico | NMSC Semifinalist |
| Nguyen, Vien | Henrico | NMSC Semifinalist |
| Patel, Heer | Henrico | NMSC Semifinalist |
| Pitchford, Hudson | Chesterfield | NMSC Semifinalist |
| Sanjay, Nived | Chesterfield | NMSC Semifinalist |
| Shah, Moksh | Henrico | NMSC Semifinalist |
| Wang, Carson | Henrico | NMSC Semifinalist |
Appreciation and thanks go out to MLWGS Senior Counselors Dr. Rachel Loving and Ms. Kimberly Forquer for your steady guidance of our students through this program.
