Wednesday, Sept. 10, 16,000 high school students from across the nation were named National Merit Semifinalists, including six students from Westside’s class of 2015. Seniors Silas Hammel, Cyrus Khandalavala, Evan Piquette, Aren Rendell, Jenny Solheim and Michelle Xiao were the six who qualified as semifinalists.

Each year, the honor goes to around 16,000 of the top 50,000 scorers in the United States. Though it seems like a large amount, it is small in comparison to the almost 1.5 million entries the National Merit Scholarship program receives.

“I was excited to learn I had achieved a high enough score on the PSAT to qualify for National Merit Semifinalist,” Xiao said. “I’m pleased to accomplish it.”

Being a semifinals, though, is not the end of the road for distinguished students. In February, they will find out if they are named National Merit Finalists. 15,000 of the 16,000 semifinalists from around the country receive this honor. These finalists then continue to be evaluated by the National Merit Scholarship program and are required to write an essay in order to apply for the $2500 scholarship to the college of their choice.

A mere six months after the initial letter about becoming a semifinalist and one month after becoming a finalist, the 8,000 National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced. The scholarship is one of the highest honors a high school senior can academically achieve.

“It would mean a ton to me to get a scholarship because it signifies that all my work throughout high school is being rewarded,” Xiao said. “And this is a national award, so to be recognized on the national level would be great.”