Oak Grove High School put up quite an impressive showing in this year’s National Merit Scholarship Corporation competition, with four of the school’s students recently being winners of the scholarship that provides $2,500 each to exceptional high schoolers around the country to go toward the university of their choice.
The four students from OGHS are Aidan Shemper, Kallen Zhou, Anushka Singh and Mari Alis Lyons. According to information released by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation in Evanston, Illinois, those four students were the only ones in the Pine Belt to earn the honor, and are among only 25 throughout Mississippi to do so.
They were among the 2,500 Merit Scholar designees from around the country who were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding finalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Aidan Shemper
Shemper plans to attend the University of Michigan after graduation, where he will study aerospace engineering.
“Being named a National Merit Finalist if a very big honor for me,” Shemper said. “It represents all of my hard work and years of dedication to school.
“Along the way, my parents have always been there for me, but (my teacher Andrea) Clark has helped me tremendously in preparing me for the tests required to become a finalist. I believe that receiving this honor has opened many doors for me, and I am byond thankful for this honor.”
Kallen Zhou
Zhou plans to go Mississippi State University, where he will study economics.
“Being a national merit finalist for me means dedication and discipline,” he said. “It illustrates the work I put in and the hours of struggle I had to go through to reach that point.
“However, I couldn’t do as much of the things I did without my humanities teacher helping me the most along this journey.”
Anushka Singh
Next fall, Singh plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to study political science and international relations on the pre-law track.
“Being named a National Merit Finalist was highly fulfilling as it represented me and my peers’ hard work, not only preparing for test day, but over the course of our high school careers,” Singh said. “There are not many awards that garner this level of attention or academic honor nationwide.
“It also gave me a crucial confidence boost during my college application process. Following that, having the honor of being named a recipient of the NMSF $2500 scholarship, was an incredible help towards my college fund and continues to inspire me to never let myself settle.”
Mari Alis Lyons
After graduation, Lyons plans to attend Mississippi State University to study child development, with a focus on pre-medicine.
“Becoming a National Merit Finalist is a significant achievement that reflects 13 years of dedication and effort to my academic studies,” Lyons said. “This honor truly recognizes the quality of Oak Grove High School and the outstanding work of my teachers in preparing me to compete with other students from around the nation.”
Each year the National Merit Scholarship Corporation identifies students across the United States who have scored at a very high level on the Preliminary SAT and National Merit Scholarship qualifying test as semifinalists. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of United States high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.
Qualifying scores vary from state to state and from year to year, but the scores of all semifinalists are extremely high.
Approximately 2 million high school students across the country apply each year for the National Merit Scholarship Program. In February, approximately 15,000 semifinalists are notified by mail at their home addresses that they have advanced to finalist standing. High school principals are notified and provided with a Certificate of Merit to present to each finalist.
Scholars are selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the finalists and their high schools That includes the academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.
NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was founded in 1955 specifically to conduct the National Merit Scholarship Program. The majority of scholarships offered each year are underwritten by approximately 340 independent corporate and college sponsors that share NMSC’s goals of honoring scholastically talented youth and encouraging academic excellence at all levels of education.
