IWA Announces National Merit Scholar Finalist and Commended Scholars

Incarnate Word Academy High School Level Guidance Counselor Sherilyn Calhoun announced Feb. 20 that senior Bradley Thering has been named a finalist in the in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program.

In addition, Marykathryn Charles, Eileen Paulson, Julio R. Ramos II, Bradley Rossiter, and Ian Simmons have been named as Commended Scholars in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program.

“Bradley becoming a finalist is great news,” Calhoun said. “Now that he is a National Merit Finalist, it could definitely impact what university he attends as well as his merit scholarship offers.”

Also commended for their achievements were seniors Noah Alvarado, Aaron Benavides, Julio R. Ramos II, and Victoria Rangel who were named 2017 National Hispanic Merit Scholarship recipients.

According to IWA President and CEO Sammie Grunwald, the number of students commended by the National Merit Scholarship Program is only one example of the exceptional achievements IWA students are making.

“The 2017 graduating class has already achieved an impressive 37% acceptance rate to Texas A&M University, far exceeding the university’s standard 10% automatic acceptance rate,” she said. “The class will far exceed UT’s 7% automatic admission rate too.”

About 16,000 Semifinalists and 34,000 Commended Scholars throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise.

Commended Scholars placed among the top five percent of more than 1.6 million students who entered the 2017 competition by taking the 2015 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Semifinalists must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. Semifinalists have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 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.

“These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success,” a spokesperson for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation said.