Two Laguna seniors named National Merit semifinalists
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The Laguna Beach Unified School District recognized two Laguna Beach High School seniors who were recently named National Merit Scholarship Corporation semifinalists.
Aviva Meyers and Grant Barton are two of about 16,000 students nationwide to be named semifinalists and were on hand to receive kudos at last week’s district board meeting.
The scholarship program, created in 1955, honors students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
Barton has a 4.71 grade-point average and passed six Advanced Placement tests, Laguna Beach High interim Principal Carolyn Williams said during the board meeting.
Barton is also a distance runner and an artist, Williams said. Last year, he was named Laguna Beach High track and field’s outstanding scholar-athlete and his artwork has been exhibited in several locations, including the Laguna Art Museum.
Meyers carries a 4.63 GPA and passed four AP tests, Williams said. Meyers has been active in the Model United Nations program since her freshman year and is currently the group’s secretary general. She also founded the school’s creative writing club and has been involved in several dance productions.
Meyers said she is applying to Columbia University and MIT, while Barton is also considering MIT, along with the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and Harvard.
The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than 1% of high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants on the PSAT in each state, according to a National Merit news release.
In February, about 15,000 of the 16,000 semifinalists are expected to be named finalists, according to the National Merit website.
All National Merit scholarship winners will be selected from this group of finalists. The corporation is expected to award 7,600 scholarships worth $33 million.