Six Union High School seniors named National Merit Semifinalists

TULSA, OK -- Six seniors from Union High School have been named 20192020 National Merit Finalists.

The students receiving this academic honor are: Dalen Burns, son of David and Tresca Burns of Tulsa; Tiffany Guo, daughter of Fei Guo and Yin Wu of Broken Arrow; Annslee Hiatt, daughter of Dan and Melanie Hiatt of Broken Arrow; Keegan Knouse, son of Kelsy Knouse of Tulsa; Anna Mcmullen, daughter of John & Kay Mcmullen of Tulsa; and Zachary Xu, son of Hang Xu and Jumao Wang of Broken Arrow.

These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth about $33 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition.

NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 440 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC’S goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.

To participate in the National Merit Scholarship Program, a student must:

Be enrolled full time as a high school student, progressing normally toward graduation or completion of high school, and planning to enter college no later than the fall following completion of high school;

Be a citizen of the United States or, if not now a citizen, a permanent U.S. resident (or an applicant for permanent residency) in the process of becoming a U.S. citizen; and

Take the PSAT/NMSQT ® in the specified year of the high school program and no later than the third year in grades 9 through 12, regardless of grade classification or educational pattern.

La Semana congratulates these students and wishes them well in their future academic pursuits.