UPPER MARLBORO, MD – Three Eleanor Roosevelt High School students have been named semifinalists in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program. Mara Moran, Niko Schultz and Sonia Zhang will join the national competition for 8,300 National Merit Scholarship awards, worth more than $32 million. Finalists for the awards will be announced next spring.

“Congratulations to these exemplary students,” said Dr. Alvin L. Crawley, Interim Superintendent of Schools. “They are to be commended for their hard work, and we wish them the best as they continue in the competition.”

The Roosevelt students were selected as semifinalists from among 1.5 million juniors representing 22,000 high school across the nation for their outstanding performance on the 2011 PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT). From the approximately 16,000 semifinalists, nearly 15,000 will advance to the finalist level in February. National Merit Scholarship winners will then be selected from this group based on their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.  

For more information, visit the National Merit Scholarship Corporation website at www.nationalmerit.org.