JHS Senior Named National Merit Finalist

2009 National Merit Finalist Saihari Dukkipati

Joplin High School senior Saihari Dukkipati has been named a Finalist in the 54th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Saihari is among approximately 16,000 scholastically talented high school seniors who will continue in the competition for some 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards. The awards – worth more than $35 million – will be offered in the spring.

Along with 1.5 million other students across the country, Saihari entered the 2009 National Merit Program as a high school junior by taking the 2007 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. He was later named a National Merit Semifinalist. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, which represents less than 1% of US high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

About 90% of National Merit Semifinalists attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists are selected as Merit Scholarship winners, earning the Merit Scholar title. Merit Scholars are selected based on their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

More information about the National Merit Scholarship Program can be found at www.nationalmerit.org.

posted 02/13/09