Five students from Corona del Mar (CdM) High School recently were named semifinalists for a National Merit Scholarship: seniors Takeshi Chang, Jasmine Jenkins, Hailey Nguyen, Kaitlyn Nguyen and Wade Parzick. The overall number of semifinalists represents less than 1 percent of high school seniors nationwide.

The nonprofit National Merit Scholarship Corporation will award 2,500 scholarships worth nearly $28 million in total in spring 2024. As semifinalists, the five CdM students achieved among the highest scores on the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) test, administered by the College Board. 

“Our students are a great representation of the diversity that exists on our campus when it comes to individual backgrounds, activities, clubs, arts and athletics. The common thread to the experience continues to be the high academic achievements of a wide variety of our students who excel both in the classroom and outside of our campus. We are proud of their accomplishments,” said CdM Principal Dr. Jacob Haley. 

To advance as a finalist, students must have an impeccable academic record, be endorsed and recommended by their high school, submit a detailed application and essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores similar to their qualifying PSAT score. Finalists are expected to be announced in February 2024.