4 Years of High school has led to this, can they do it?

Last month, three students from Klein High were announced as semi finalist for the National Merit Scholarship competition. Seniors Emma Swanson, Andy Zhou, and Jasmine Vonk, were among a total of eight other students from the surrounding high schools, all eager to see if they’re closer to making finals

“I was really excited; I wasn’t all that surprised because when I looked at the scores from past years I kind of figured out I would probably get it,” Swanson said.

Even while the semifinalists are working in class, they’re also thinking about what college they would want to attend when they graduate high school.

“Whether or not I make the finals of national merit, I want to go to a college somewhere in the Northeast,” Vonk said. “However, I am not 100 percent sure yet, if I can get into a good college, I’ll take it.”

The finalists for the National Merit Scholarships will be announced in February of 2020. Those who make finals will be eligible for either a full or partial scholarship for college.

“If I can make it into the finals, I will be super excited and happy,” Swanson said. “I’ll have to keep pushing in school, but I know I can do it.”

Even if you make it to the finals that doesn’t necessarily mean you will receive the scholarship.

“If I final I will be happy, however there’s another step,” Zhou said. “After the finals only about 50 percent of people actually get the money. So being a finalist is one thing, but the last step is to receive the money, so that’s the end goal.”