A look at the National Merit Semifinalists

From left to right: Gus Burkhardt, Joey Esposito, and Ricky John

With the PSAT around the corner, we should look to the best of Aurora for advice. This past year, three current seniors were named as National Merit Semifinalists.These students are Joey Esposito, Ricky John, and Gus Burkhardt.

In order to become a National Merit Semifinalist, you must take the PSAT and end up with one of the top 16,000 scores. This is equal to about the top third of the 50,000 students around the US that takes the test.

First, a look at Joey Esposito. He studied, using Khan Academy and UWorld, in preparation for the test. Esposito hopes to go on and earn the scholarship attached to the award. With the scholarship money, he hopes to attend Ohio State University, the University of Virginia, or the University of Michigan and pursue a degree in Data Science.

When asked about how he felt when he heard the news, Esposito said, “I was surprised, and happy because I was being recognized for the effort I put in.”

Next, a look at fellow winner, Ricky John. He was excited when he found out; to him, it is one of his greatest achievements. John felt as if all his hard work paid off. This hard work included taking difficult, well-rounded classes. These classes created a foundation for his success; to this foundation he built his knowledge up through trying the practice provided. John is undecided in his college decision; he is applying to many different college, in the US and the UK. At college he wants to major in physics or mathematics.

John knows the weight of gaining this accomplishment “Being selected is beneficial because colleges hold this competition in high regard… [it] indicates to college admissions offices that a student has very high problem solving skills, in combination with a comprehensive understanding of the English language.”

Last but not least, Gus Burkhardt was the third recipient of this achievement. He prepared by taking online tests. Burkhardt is looking to attend Ohio State University next fall. He has not selected a major yet, however, he is leaning towards engineering.

Burkhardt felt the same as Esposito. “I was very surprised, it took a lot longer to learn I'd been selected than I expected.”

Overall, the recipients were excited to win and are hopeful to win the possible scholarship.