Smithtown High School East seniors Dylan Shen and Rishabh Dholakia have been named semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.
“I was really excited,” said Rishabh. “I wasn’t sure if I got it or not, it’s a great opportunity for scholarship and college.”
“I was also really excited when it came out because it’s still it’s a huge thing for college and it’s really nice on the résumé,” Dylan exclaimed.
“I did a lot of work study for the test so it paid off.”
The nationwide pool of semifinalists represented less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a not-for-profit organization that awards scholarship to high school seniors annually. Semifinalists are chosen based on preliminary SAT scores.
Dylan and Rishabh were joined for a picture by Smithtown High School East guidance counselors Brian Alemaghides and Robert Woods.
Finalists will be chosen based on an essay written by the student, a recommendation from a high school official, and grades and SAT scores that align with the student’s PSAT score.
