Clark students named semifinalists

     By Judy DeLoretta
     View staff writer
      Seven Clark High School students received word they have qualified for the 2000 Merit Scholarship Competition.
      Semifinalists Nathan Dahl, Sirui Jiang, Jonathan Kight, Yu Liu, Eric Rowland, Robert Wills and Grace Wu scored above the required grade on their PSAT tests. All of the students are in Clark's Academy of Math, Science and Technology magnet program.
      High school juniors throughout the country who exhibit the highest scores on their pre-SAT tests each year are chosen as semifinalists in the competition.
      This year, 50,000 juniors took the pre-test, and 16,000 were named as semifinalists. Only 7,000 students will receive scholarship money.
      The types of scholarships awarded to those 7,000 students nationwide include 2,400 single-payment National Merit $2,000 scholarships, for which all finalists will be considered; about 1,200 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards, specified for finalists who meet a company or business grantor's preferential criteria; and more than 4,000 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards, which are available only for finalists who will attend their respective sponsor institution.
      The Merit Program is conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corp., a non-profit organization that works with about 200 colleges and universities throughout the country.
      The next step for the seven Clark students is to qualify as finalists by fulfilling requirements, including passing their SAT exams, and turning in an application package for the competition.
      Once the students take their SATs, those who score the highest will be eligible for the $2,000 scholarships.
      "Some of the students have gone on to take their SATs and are awaiting final word," Clark counselor Alice Kim said. "That's what I'm helping the students with now. We're getting things ready for them, so they have the chance for that scholarship money."
      "I have a lot of experience preparing for this," Yu Liu said. "We have to do this all on our own time, and the reason is to be ready for the SAT exam."
      PSAT scores are sent to the nation's colleges, Eric Rowland said.
      "Even if you don't get the scholarship money in with your SAT score, it looks pretty good that you were a semifinalist in the PSATs on your rŽsumŽ," Rowland said.
      To Sirui Jiang, 15, it will be an important addition to his college applications.
      "Colleges also sponsor scholarships," Jiang said. "So even if I don't get scholarship money from the Merit Scholarship Competition, it will increase my chance of getting money from the school."
      It's not the money that counts for Jonathan Kight. The $2,000 scholarship, he said, won't buy a lot of time in college. Harvey Mudd College, the school he would like to attend, costs about $30,000 a year, Kight said.
      Nathan Dahl, who received a perfect score on his SAT, is hoping to attend the University of Oklahoma. Grace Wu plans to apply early to Stanford University. Robert Wills hopes to attend Stanford or UCLA.
      The semifinalist status is well-deserved.
      "A lot of us get up at 4 or 5 a.m. to get to school," Kight said. "We chose to come to Clark's magnet school from all over Las Vegas, and the bus rides can be pretty tedious."