Eight Southwest Oklahoma students named scholarship finalists

Six Lawton Public Schools students have been named National Merit Semifinalists.

They are: Eisenhower High School, Grace J. Cho and Jordyn L. Edwards; Lawton High School, Kali Garrett and Kaitlyn Lee; MacArthur High School, Peter Swierkosz and Holdn Vazquez.

Other students in Southwest Oklahoma who have been named semifinalist are: Cache High School, Mason Mexa; and Frederick High School, Priscilla Beavers.

These eight students will have the opportunity to compete for some of the 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next Spring.

To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT® or ACT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.