Two Ballard High School students have been selected as semi-finalists in the National Merit Scholarship program. Seniors Olivia L. Cope and Dylan R. Miller are two of the 31 Seattle Public Schools students to be selected. Only 16,000 students are chosen as semi-finalists nationwide. According to the National Merit website, there are several steps to become a finalist. “These include completing an application, having a consistently very high academic record, writing an essay, being endorsed and recommended by a school official, and taking the SAT® and earning a score that confirms the PSAT/NMSQT performance.”

Nearly 15,000 students will move on to become finalists and 8,200 of those will earn the Merit Scholar title and compete for scholarships worth more than $36 million.