The National Merit Scholarship Coalition Wednesday announced 16,000 semi finalists — 19 of whom are Shawnee Mission high schoolers — will compete for more than 7,600 scholarships worth more than $30 million.
More than 1.5 million high school juniors nationwide applied for the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program. To become a finalist, students must submit a detailed scholarship application, write an essay, have an outstanding academic record and be recommended by a high school official.
About 15,000 will become finalists come February 2021, and all scholarship winners will be chosen from the pool of finalists. There are 2,500 state-representational scholarships, around 1,000 corporate-sponsored scholarships and approximately 4,100 college-sponsored scholarships.
Below are the Shawnee Mission area students who are in the running to become 2021 National Merit Scholarship finalists:
- Charles B. Horner, Shawnee Mission South
- John J. Selzer, SM South
- Zachary D. Wallenburg, Shawnee Mission West
- Emma M. Worthington, SM West
- Sullivan Goettsch, Shawnee Mission East
- Mazy L. Heim, SM East
- Emilie Liljegren, SM East
- Alexander J. Miller, SM East
- Grace G. Strongman, SM East
- Jesse D. Debok, Shawnee Mission Northwest
- Gentry Gardner, SM Northwest
- Michael Kouri, SM Northwest
- Elizabeth Kuffour, SM Northwest
- Elizabeth A. Schottler, De Soto High School
- Abigail L. Yarbrough, De Soto
- John Fraka, Mill Valley High School
- John Lehan, Mill Valley
- Ben Wieland, Mill Valley
- Hayden D. Clements, Bishop Miege High School
- Erin M. Garr, Bishop Miege
- Charles Hill, Bishop Miege
- Aidan S. Oblepias, Bishop Miege
