National Scholarship Program Chooses More Than 100 Top Black Florida Scholars as Semifinalists
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National Scholarship Program Chooses More Than 100 Top Black Florida Scholars as Semifinalists
Tallahassee, Fla., September 25, 2013 - Florida is well represented with more than 100 black public high school seniors named today as semifinalists for the 2014 National Achievement Scholarship Program. The state's black students join more than 1,600 high school seniors from across the country who will vie for finalist spots next year - and one of approximately 800 national achievement scholarships totaling more than $2.5 million. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation recognizes the highest-scoring black students in each state who took the Preliminary SAT and National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test as a junior in high school.
"These students have worked very hard to achieve this level of recognition and I wish them the best of luck in the competition," said Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart. "They are a great representation of the high-caliber students we have in the Sunshine State and I'm proud of their tremendous accomplishment."
Semifinalists, along with their school, will submit a scholarship application that provides information for the final round of the scholarship competition. The application will include the student's academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities and future educational goals. The student must also have a recommendation from a high school official, write an essay and earn an SAT score that confirms his or her performance on the qualifying test.
Students may earn one of two National Achievement Scholarships - 700, one-time scholarships worth $2,500 and awarded by region, and approximately 100 renewable scholarships for finalists who meet additional criteria set by corporate scholarship sponsors. The 2014 National Achievement Scholars will be announced in April.
The National Achievement Scholarship Program is an academic competition established in 1964 by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation to provide recognition for outstanding black high school students across the U.S. For more information, visit National Achievement Scholarship Program.
List of Florida's 2014 National Achievement Program semifinalists (PDF, 129KB)