Archdiocesan students score in top 1% of nation on PSAT/NMSQT Exam

High school students across the Archdiocese of Newark were recently recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®) for outstanding achievement on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) in 2021. The Archdiocese is proud to congratulate its five students who were awarded the title of National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist and the 36 students who were recognized as Commended Students.

Semifinalists originated from Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, Academy of the Holy Angels in Demarest, Mount St. Dominic Academy in Caldwell, Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, and Saint Peter’s Prep in Jersey City. Commended students came from Saint Joseph’s Regional High School in Montvale, Oratory Prep in Summit, Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child in Summit, Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, and the Academy of the Holy Angels in Demarest.

The PSAT/NMSQT is the entrance exam for eligibility to the National Merit Scholarship Program.

From a national pool of 1.5 million entrants, 50,000 high scorers were recognized in April 2021 for their outstanding achievement on the 2021 PSAT/NMSQT. Just 16,000 of these high scorers qualified as semifinalists nationally, representing less than 1 percent of all U.S. high school seniors, according to the NMSC. The semifinalists will now advance in the competition for 7,250 National Merit Scholarships to be offered in 2023. There are three types of National Merit Scholarships: National Merit® $2500 Scholarships, Corporate-sponsored scholarships, and College-sponsored scholarships. About 95 percent of semifinalists are expected to become finalists. They will be notified of their status in the competition by the NMSC in February. 

“We are very proud of our students and their academic accomplishments,” said Brother Christopher Hall, Assistant Superintendent of High Schools. “These students bring great pride and recognition to our Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Newark. We wish them the best of luck as they continue to work through the National Merit Scholarship Program’s rigorous application process.”

The semifinalists from across the nation represent less than 1% of all U.S. high school seniors, according to the NMSC.

“The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college scholarships,” according to the NMSC website. “The program is conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®), a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance.”

At least 13 commended students from the Archdiocese have also been invited to apply for the NMSC’s National African American Recognition Program, National Hispanic Recognition Program, and the National Indigenous Recognition Program. While these programs are not scholarship programs, according to the NMSC, “students can include this academic honor in their college and scholarship applications.” Students who believe they are eligible for recognition but did not receive an invitation from NMSC can self-nominate through their application site and have their eligibility reviewed. Luke Mosca
  Celine Hong
  Amanda Rohde
  Nicholas Imbasciani
  Akshat Agarwal Ryan Colella
Luca Phillipy
  William Foucher
Brendan Milton
  Lily P. Andersen
Katherine V. Gupta
  Anthony A Armanious
Charles R Gehringer
Jonah X George
Liam K Jones
Ryan J Rauschenberger
Ethan C Salzano
Leyan Yu
Lacordaire Academy
Amber Greene
Kelly Miller
  Giselle Acosta
Sophia Carroll
Giovanna Corbisiero
Sophie Cossio
Caroline Dupas
Ava Goyal
Anna Jang
Emily Sapka
Isabel Stein
Faith Youn
Cecilia Yun
Annabelle Hur
and Shivani Sahu
  Layla Libanan
Johanna Murphy
Meghan Minogue
Katherine Deane
Emma Dillane
Lauren Grae
Noelle Haskell
Kate Menak

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