Veronica Yu and Eileen Weisner
Two Named National Merit Semifinalists
Two New Rochelle High School seniors have been named semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship program.
The semifinalists, Eileen Weisner and Veronica Yu, are among approximately 16,000 semifinalists nationwide. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring.
More than 1.3 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.
“I’m thrilled to receive this recognition and I’m grateful for the support of my parents and teachers throughout my schooling,” said Eileen. “The confidence they’ve put in me continually motivates me to do my best. I’m happy to see results from the hard work I’ve put in, and I’m so proud to be able to share this experience with Veronica.”
Veronica echoed those sentiments, “It’s really exciting to be a semifinalist with Eileen. I’m truly honored to receive this distinction,” she said. “It feels like I’m gaining recognition for a lot of the hard work that I’ve put in over the years and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be considered for honors such as the National Merit Scholarship.”
To be considered for a merit scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win the prestigious scholarship award.