by Taylor Bryant
University of West Georgia Advanced Academy students Maxwell Roberts and Thomas Spader were recently named 2015 National Merit semifinalists. The National Merit Scholarship Program, an academic competition for recognition and scholarships, offers more than $30 million in scholarships.
“We are thrilled to have these students at UWG and proud of their accomplishments,” says Dr. Michael Hester, UWG dean of the Honors College and Trans-disciplinary Programs. “Due to The Advanced Academy, high achieving students such as Max and Thomas are bringing national attention to our university.”
Each year, an estimated 1.5 million entrants take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Only about 16,000 students are chosen as semifinalists who are designated on a state representational basis as the highest scoring entrants in each state.
“I worked pretty hard preparing for the PSAT to get here, so it feels great to have it pay off,” says Thomas, a Lagrange, Georgia native and computer science major.
Thomas, Callaway High School, and Maxwell, Centennial High School, are dual enrolled at UWG as members of The Advanced Academy of Georgia.
“I’m very glad I have had the opportunity to succeed,” says Maxwell, a UWG sophomore from Alpharetta, Georgia. “I want to become an aerospace engineer and work in the defense industry, so I’m hoping to continue my success in the future.”
In February, selected semifinalists will be notified of their advancement to finalist standing. The following March, finalists will be selected to receive a Merit Scholarship award. National Merit finalists will compete for one of 2,500 scholarships. Nearly 250 corporations and business organizations will also give 1,000 corporate-sponsored scholarships for finalists who meet those organizations criteria.
About 90 percent of semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and more than half of the finalists will win a scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. 2015 Merit Scholarship winners will be announced between April and July 2015.
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