Eileen Lee:

 

How does it feel to say that you are one of only two students at our school to be a semi-finalist?

• “I’m so surprised that I made it because I know that the cut off for Texas is pretty high. I’m just really happy about it.”

 

What did it take to become a National Merit semi-finalist?

• “During junior year I truly started studying in hopes of being a semi-finalist.”

 

Do you have to apply, and if so, what is the process?

• “You don’t have to apply to become a semi-finalist, but you do have to apply to become a finalist, and you have to provide your transcript, a letter of recommendation, an essay and also a list of your extracurriculars.”

 

What college do you plan on attending?

• “I’m undecided, but my top three would be Stanford, Columbia and Princeton.”

 

What major do you plan on pursuing?

• “Biomedical Engineering”

 

Do you get any scholarship money for being a National Merit semi-finalist, and if so, how much?

• “You don’t get any scholarship money for being a finalist, but if you do become a finalist, you have a small chance of winning scholarship money from either companies or sponsors.”

 

Were you surprised when you heard your name on the announcements?

• “Honestly, no, I was not surprised. My counselor had already told me beforehand.”

 

What other extracurricular events are you involved in?

• “I am involved in Speech and Debate [and] Science Olympiad, and I am also a tutor outside of school.”

 

Samuel Torres:

 

How does it feel to say that you are one of only two students at our school to be a semi-finalist?

• “I‘m just really proud. I don’t know what else to say about that.”

 

What did it take to become a National Merit semi-finalist?

• “I feel like I have always taken school very seriously which has allowed me to make all A’s.”

 

Do you have to apply, and if so, what is the process?

• “Now, the application process begins, you automatically become a semi-finalist based off your SAT scores, but you have to apply to become a finalist.”

 

What college do you plan on attending, and  what major do you plan on choosing?

• “I plan on going to Vanderbilt because my sister goes there, and I plan on majoring in Mechanical Engineering.”

 

What would be your dream job after college?

• “My dreams job would be working at either NASA or SpaceX.”

 

Do you get any scholarship money for being a National Merit semi-finalist, and if so, how much?

• “[If you become a semi-finalist], you don’t get any money. If you become a finalist, you still aren’t guaranteed money because only about half of the finalists get money.”

 

Were you surprised when you heard your name on the announcements?

• “No, I was not surprised at all because I looked it up, and I knew that I met all of the requirements.”

 

What other extracurricular events are you involved in?

• “I play on the Woods Lacrosse team, [and] I’m in H.E.A.T. Club, NHS and am on Student Senate.”