Austin Public Schools celebrates student award winners
Published 5:41 pm Friday, September 20, 2024
Meicy Liu
Claudia McDonald
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Last week, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced that Austin High School seniors Meicy Liu and Claudia McDonald have been named semifinalists in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
They will each have the opportunity to move forward and compete for one of approximately 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million.
“It’s [an] honor to have been named a semifinalist,” Meicy said. “This award is both a reflection of my academic progress as well as a representation of what I can and will be able to achieve in the future.”
Both Meicy and Caludia credited their teachers for their efforts in helping them succeed.
“We are delighted to congratulate Meicy Liu and Claudia McDonald for being named semifinalist in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program,” said AHS principal Matt Schmit. “Their hard work and dedication model the excellence we strive for in our school. We are incredibly proud of their achievement and look forward to their continued success.”
Over 1.3 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools entered the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) which served as an initial screen of program entrants.
“APS has supported my educational journey and given me opportunities to grow and further enrich my learning,” Claudia said. “Through RCC and PSEO classes, I have been able to expand my horizons which has helped me get ahead with my education and is a large part of why I was able to accomplish this recognition.”
The semifinalist pool represents less than one percent of US high school seniors and includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.
“We’re proud to share that Meicy and Claudia have been recognized as National Merit Semifinalists,” said Dr. Joey Page, superintendent of Austin Public Schools. “This achievement is a testament to their effort and commitment, and we look forward to seeing what they accomplish next.”
