Thirteen Bryn Mawr seniors have been recognized as either Semifinalists or Commended Scholars by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The large number of students honored is remarkable, representing the highest number of any girls school in the state.
Audra Lane, Hrithika Bhambhani and Emily Sakai, have been named National Merit Semifinalists, and will compete in the 64th annual National Merit Scholarship Program for the opportunity to win one of the 7,500 National Merit Scholarships that will be offered next spring.
Ten other students — Hannah Brecher, Catherine Chen, Emma Cotter, Katherine Dowling, Katie Lundberg, Keri McClelland, Isabel Pantle, Katrina Salmon, Isabel Veloso and Isabelle Zollinger — have been named Commended Scholars, reflecting their high achievement on the PSAT/NMSQT.
The National Merit Scholarship program is open to all high school students who complete the PSAT/NMSQT by the close of their junior year. More than 1,600,000 students take the test each year. To achieve Commended Scholar or Semifinalist status, students must meet or exceed a selection index. While the Commended Scholar selection index is the same nationwide, Semifinalist indices vary state to state, in order to allow NMSC to provide a representative sample of students. Maryland’s selection index is one of the highest in the country, providing an even greater testament to the exceptional abilities of Bryn Mawr’s Commended Scholars and Semifinalists.