October 11, 2018
More than 1.6 million high school students from about 22,000 schools nationwide take the PSAT in October of their junior year. Those with the highest PSAT Selection Index scores are recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for their exceptional performance–and this year, that includes three of our own MPA students! Seniors Ajay Manicka, Henry Peterson, and Lindsey Baldwin were honored this fall by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, based on their scores on last fall’s PSAT.
Ajay and Henry are two of 16,000 Semifinalists selected from the 50,000 highest scorers in the country. Semifinalists proceed in the scholarship competition by submitting their academic records throughout high school, endorsements and recommendations by a high school official, written essays, and SAT® scores that confirm their prior performance on the qualifier test. If Ajay and Henry are named Finalists, they will be eligible for National Merit Scholarship opportunities. Over 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and nearly half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship. We wish the best of luck to them!
Lindsey was one of 34,000 students whose performance earned a Letter of Commendation. Commended Students place among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.6 million students who entered the 2019 competition. And as Minnesota has one of the highest minimum qualifying scores in the nation, Commendation status is also a considerable accomplishment.
“The young men and women identified in the National Merit Competition have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” commented a spokesperson for NMSC. “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”
Again, much congratulations to all three! These students have set and achieved their own high academic goals and standards at MPA, paving the way for success in college and beyond. All MPA sophomores and juniors took the PSAT yesterday, October 10. We wish them well!
