Seniors Honored by National Merit Scholarship and College Board Recognition Programs

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition wherein students take the Preliminary SAT test in the fall of their junior year. Of the 1.5 million qualifying high school students across the country who submitted as entrants, 16,000 were named National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists.

Marist’s semifinalists include seniors Wyatt Banks, Will Doster, Claire Garvin, Lauren Guhl, and Elly Kang. Their test scores were among the highest in Georgia, representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors. As semifinalists, these five students will have the opportunity to continue competing for National Merit Scholarships and the honorific Merit Scholar title.

The College Board sponsors the National African American and National Hispanic Recognition Programs, which help address the systemic barriers to higher education faced by underrepresented students. Those honored can include the achievement in college and scholarship applications. The programs also connect students with universities and scholarship opportunities by sharing their achievements with the College Board Student Search Service.

To qualify as a Program Scholar, students either fall within the top 10% of PSAT entrant scores in Georgia or score a three or higher on two or more AP exams by junior year. These individuals must clearly demonstrate a potential for success in rigorous college studies.

This year’s Class of 2023 National African American Recognition Scholars are seniors Joshua Escayg, Aman Haileyesus, Nathan Mungai, Nia Givens, O’Keefe McKinney, Tigist Gebru, Olivia Tolliver, and Austin Kittrell. The Class of 2023 National Hispanic Recognition Scholars are seniors Emily Delmonte, Cooper York, Camilo Lopez-Morton, Natalie Bondulich, Alejandro Monsanto, Alex Ibelings, Ally McDevitt, Lucas Farach, and William Alvarez.  

Congratulations to our Marist School students on their achievement and national recognition! We believe their commitment to academic excellence is a critical foundation for success in college studies, civic leadership and service, and the lifelong pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty.