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National Merit Finalist at LHSKC

Nathan Wagner Named National Merit Finalist
Posted on 03/03/2017
Nathan Wagner

Nathan is the son of Keith and Joyce Wagner of Raymore, Missouri and attends St. Matthew Lutheran Church. Nathan is a member of the National Honor Society and plays Basketball and Tennis. He is also a member of 4-H where he competes at the National level in Archery. In the fall, Nathan plans to attend Texas A&M University.

About 1.5 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2015 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

​To become a Finalist, Nathan, along with Lutheran High School, submitted a detailed scholarship application, providing information about his academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, and honors and awards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

​From the approximately 16,000 Semifinalists, about 15,000 advance to the Finalist level. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

​Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2017. Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit® $2500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis. About 1,000 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 250 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet specified criteria. In addition, about 190 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 3,900 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.

​National Merit Scholarship winners of 2017 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 315,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.

Lutheran High School of Kansas City commends Nathan on this outstanding achievement. – To God Be the Glory!