On Thursday, officials with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation revealed the list of semifinalists for its prestigious scholar program and all five El Paso honorees this year are from the El Paso Independent School District.
In fact, all five are students are seniors at El Paso ISD’s Coronado High School. They are:
• Minseo Kim
• Samuel L. Kligman
• Christina L. Li
• Christian N. Lomarquez
• Luke Miller
They are among 16,000 semifinalists named Thursday by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
Coronado principal Marc Escareno said the announcement today showcases the commitment to high- quality teaching and learning that’s the trademark of EPISD and Coronado.
“To be the only high school in the city with students achieving this honor speaks to the legacy of academic excellence at Coronado,” he said. “Scoring in the top 1 to 2 percent of test takers in the state of Texas is an amazing accomplishment and these students are among the best of the best in El Paso and the country.”
Officials share that these academically talented high-school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $30 million that will be offered in the spring.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the coveted Merit Scholar title.
El Paso ISD continues the tradition of excellence in the National Merit Scholarship program, last year, five of the six semifinalists were El Paso ISD students.
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