The Lubbock ISD Board of Trustees recognized 18 students at last week’s regular meeting for their superior academic achievement as National Merit Semifinalists, Commended Scholars, and National Hispanic Scholars.
Lubbock ISD is home to two National Merit semifinalists: Zaina Moussa from the Talkington School for Young Women Leaders and Kevin Shu from Lubbock High School. Of the approximately 1.6 million students taking the qualifying exam nationwide, LISD is the only public school district in Lubbock County with any students earning the prestigious distinction. Less than one percent of high school seniors can claim the designation of National Merit Semifinalist.
Six students were named Commended Students in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Competition. In late September, about 34,000 high scorers of the approximately 1.6 million students who took the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test were notified of their selection as Commended Scholars. The Commended Students are Laurel Baldwin-White from Monterey High School and James Berry, Ashwin Koul, Sagar Patel, Jennifer Qasim and Neloy Shome, all from Lubbock High School.
Nine students were selected for recognition in the National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) for their performance on the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) and their grade point average.
Each year, the NHRP identifies nearly 5,000 of the highest-scoring students from a nationwide total of more than 250,000 juniors in the United States and U.S. Territories who take the PSAT/NMSQT and who designate themselves as at least one-quarter Hispanic/Latino.
The NHRP Hispanic Scholars are Kilei Pope from Coronado High School and Julia Arendell, William Lampkin, Natalie Luera, Daniel Martinez, Isaac Martinez-Trejos, Jennifer Qasim, Gabriela Quintana and Tyler Roquebert, all from Lubbock High School.
