GMHS Senior Lauren Barnes Named National Merit Semifinalist
Lauren Barnes was one of about 16,000 high school seniors nationwide to be named a National Merit Semifinalist last month. Students are selected based on their performance on the PSAT exam, a precursor to the SAT college admissions test. About 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools took the test and entered the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Lauren will find out in February if she has made it to the Finalist stage of the award, and in May, the College Board will announce the names of the 7,500 National Merit Scholars. Lauren will be eligible for a variety of college scholarships, with some colleges even offering “full ride” academic scholarships to National Merit students.
Lauren, who hopes to major in environmental studies and eventually earn a law degree, said she is excited about the opportunity to earn scholarship money to help pay for her education. “Climate change has always been something I can’t help but pay attention to,” she said. “As a kid, there was not much I could do about it. If I become an environmental lawyer, it will be my job to do something about it.”
Lauren, who has already earned some college credit by taking Advanced Placement courses, is taking classes at Ohio State University this year. “My mother always taught me school is what you make of it. If you want to succeed, you will.”
Posted: Monday, October 9, 2017