Grace Senior Aaron Seto Named National Merit Semifinalist

Community School is proud to announce Senior Aaron Seto was named as a National Merit Semifinalist. Seto now has the opportunity to be included among the elite group of National Merit Scholars. Seto has been a student at Grace since JrK. Throughout his time at Grace he has excelled in both Advanced Placement and Dual Credit courses, ranking at the top of his class, while also being active in student life on campus. He has competed in TAPPS State academic competitions and is involved in Student Government, Orchestra, and GCS Student Ambassadors. Seto also founded the Mu Alpha Theta chapter at Grace as well as HOSA Future Health Professionals.

Grace rejoices with Aaron and his family at his remarkable achievement. He is an outstanding representation of the excellent, Christ-focused education Grace provides. We look forward to seeing what God has in store for this fine young man,” said Jay Ferguson, Ph.D., Head of School, Grace Community School.

“I am extremely thankful to receive this award and feel truly humbled by the opportunity to join so many other students in the National Merit Program,” said Aaron Seto, Senior at Grace Community School.

The 16,000 Semifinalists are the highest-scoring entrants in each state and represent less than 1 percent of each state’s high school seniors. They are the only participants who qualify to continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships to be awarded in the spring of 2021. To be considered in the rigorous competition for National Merit Scholarships, Semifinalists must advance to the Finalist level of the competition by meeting additional standards and fulfilling several requirements. These include having a record of very high academic performance in college preparatory course work, submitting SAT or ACT scores that confirm the PSAT/NMSQT performance, and being fully endorsed and recommended by a high school official. The Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. Over 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing and more than half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.

For 21 years, Grace Community School has participated in the National Merit Scholarship Competition and during that time 43 students have been named Commended Scholars and 12 have achieved Finalist.

To learn more about the National Merit Scholarship Program, go to https://www.nationalmerit.org.