Two Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School Seniors Named National Merit Scholarship Finalists

February 20, 2024 Erin Slifka Education 0

(Joplin, MO) – Congratulations to two Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School (TJIDS) seniors, Emalee Ro and Chengle “Lele” Qian, for being named National Merit Scholarship Finalists.

With this year’s recognition, TJIDS continues a longstanding track record of producing National Merit Scholars annually. Approximately 25% of each TJIDS graduating class is recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) as either National Merit Finalists or National Merit Commended Scholars. In addition to this year’s Finalists, Emalee and Lele, seniors Avery Hocker, Prithvi Nagarajan, and Allison Ding were named National Merit Commended Scholars.

“We are so proud of Emalee and Lele for the prestigious accomplishment of being named National Merit Scholarship Finalists. In addition to being excellent students, they are also outstanding leaders and members of the TJIDS community,” said Laura McDonald, Head of School.

High school seniors nationwide must undergo a rigorous application and selection process to be named National Merit Scholarship Finalists.

Students must score nationally in the top 1% on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT). After this, they are named semifinalists by the NMSC. Finalists are selected from this group after completing an application, essays, and further standardized testing.

NMSC exists to identify and honor academically gifted high school students through PSAT scores. Students who qualify are among an exceptional group of individuals, and this honor enables students to be identified by top colleges and universities and become eligible for a select collection of additional scholarships, up to and including full tuition at several colleges and universities.

National Merit Scholarship Finalists across the nation will be competing for scholarships from three categories: