Fourteen Bishop O’Dowd High School seniors were recently named commended students in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Mariana Alvear, Walter Brostrom, Brandon Choy, Gabriel Clark-Clough, Zachary Eslick, Madeleine Farrington, Linnea Gullikson, Carla Ho, Aris Jernigan, Eunice Jung, Noah Linde, Marina Ramsey, Jonquil Rumberger and Owen Schnider are among some 34,000 students throughout the nation being recognized for their exceptional academic promise.
Although they will not continue in the 2017 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, the commended students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.6 million students who entered the competition by taking the 2015 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
A spokesperson for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation said the commended students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success. “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 this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success,” the spokesperson said.