Wheeling Park High School senior Adesh Urval has been named as a 2021 National Merit Scholarship semifinalist.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced Urval’s selection on Wednesday. He is now in the running to be named as one of the 7,600 National Merit Scholarship winners who will collectively receive an estimated $30 million in scholarships this spring. Wheeling Park High School Principal Meredith Dailer said becoming a National Merit semifinalist is an amazing academic achievement.
“Adesh has truly made us Patriot Proud,” Dailer said. “We’ve always known of his talents through his work with the Wheeling Park High School Speech and Debate Team. But, this award speaks volumes to his dedication to his academics and his drive to excel.”
More than 1.5 million juniors in approximately 21,000 high schools entered the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The 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, Urval and a Wheeling Park High School official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about his academic record, school and community activities, leadership abilities, employment and honors and awards received. He must also have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a Wheeling Park official and write an essay.
