National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

The National Merit Scholarship Program has recognized nine University School students as semifinalists in the 2015 competition. These students are among those earning the highest scores on the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) test. The designation is the first step toward becoming a National Merit Scholarship winner.

The semifinalists are:

Akshay Bhardwaj
Nathan Fakult
Stephen Gillinov
Samuel Heater
Jeffrey Holland
Joseph 'Hal' Juster
Chandler Koon
Solomon La Piana
William Xin

Seven of the semifinalists started their journeys at University School's Shaker Campus.

Commenting on the announcement, William Daughtrey, Co-Director of the Upper School and Hunting Valley Campus, said, "These young men should be praised for such a noteworthy achievement. They have distinguished themselves in the classroom and beyond, and well deserve the national recognition for their academic excellence."

"We are very pleased that nine of our seniors have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation," added Jenny Rifken Fisher, Director of College Counseling. "All of these young men are bright and talented, and we look forward to seeing all that they will accomplish in the years ahead."

About 16,000 students nationwide are chosen as semifinalists, and 90 percent go on to become finalists. About 8,000 will be selected as 2014 scholarship winners.