In early September, three seniors, Joe Patrick, Annie Hermann, and Jayne Munshower, earned the academic honor of National Merit Semifinalist. They are three of 16,000 semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Competition.

Annie Hermann, ‘18, was very surprised when she found out about the honor. “It was announced Sept. 13, and it was very exciting. Honestly, I kind of forgot about it since I took the PSAT the fall of 2016,” said Hermann.

“It’s a great academic achievement, but I’m definitely happy about it, mainly because none of my older siblings got it, but I did. That’s a pretty awesome feeling. Right now, I’m looking at Stanford or Notre Dame for college next year, so it’d be awesome if being a National Merit Semifinalist helps me with those goals,” said Hermann.

Jayne Munshower, ‘18, was not surprised when she heard she earned a National Merit Semifinalist spot. “I wasn’t shocked about it, but I was still proud of the accomplishment,” said Munshower.

“After taking the PSAT, I looked up the score I would need to qualify, and I knew my score would be in that range.”

Joe Patrick, ‘18, is the third National Merit Semifinalist in the class of 2018. “When I took the PSAT last year, being a National Merit Semifinalist hadn’t really crossed

my mind. So, when I found out, I was extremely excited,” said Patrick.

“I’m proud of the score I earned, and I think it reflects how hard I’ve worked throughout high school. I’m applying early to Notre Dame, so hopefully this helps me stand out from other applicants. I’d really love to attend school there next year, but I’ll see how the application process goes.”

In order to qualify for the National Merit Finalist Competition, Patrick, Munshower, and Hermann will need to take or retake the SAT. Wish them luck as they compete for an honor that less than 1 percent of the country receives!