Jesuit’s 35 National Merit Semifinalists

An * next to the names of the National Merit Semifinalists indicates that the senior is also a National Hispanic Scholar. The National Merit Semifinalists in Jesuit’s Class of 2018 are:

Bottom row (from left): Nathan Alvarez*, Mitchell Berry*, James Busenlener, Jackson Butterbaugh, Peter Carr*, Robert Cerise, Robert Christmann

Second row: Anthony Cibilich, Garrett Crumb, Matthew Cruz*, Max Drury, Ethan Ehrhardt, Michael Farrugia

Third row: David Gravolet, Samuel Guillory, Davis Hatrel, John Holmes, Paul James, Matthew Latham, Patrick McManus

Fourth row: Graeme Mjehovich, Juan Molina*, Patrick Murray, Logan Raymond, Aidan Roberts, William Rogers, Christopher Ross

Fifth row: Thomas Sagona, Timothy Stahel, Malcolm Sundell, Jake Theriot, Austin Tran, Tanner Tripoli, Ryan Tucker

Not pictured: Richard Stedman

The 35 National Merit Scholars in the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Program represented nearly 12% of the more than 200 Louisiana high school honorees.The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to that state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors. Nationwide, nearly 1.6 million students entered the competition, and the field was narrowed to only 16,000 semifinalists. Considering semifinalists alone, this number represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors. From the elite group of semifinalists, 7,500 students will go on to win scholarships worth over $30 million.

This year’s semifinalists from Jesuit posted scores ranging from 217 to 227 on the PSAT/NMSQT^®, which is used as the initial screen in the annual competition underwritten by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

Jesuit’s Eight National Hispanic Scholars

In the Class of 2018, five seniors are honored as National Hispanic Scholars: Nathan Alvarez, Donald Barrett, Mitchell Berry, Matthew Cruz, and Juan Molina, Jr. The College Board underwrites the National Hispanic Scholar Recognition Program.

Commended Students in the National Merit Competition

Additionally, the names of 19 seniors who are Commended in the National Merit Scholarship competition were also released. According to the NMSC, more than two-thirds (about 34,000) of the approximately 50,000 high scorers on the PSAT/NMSQT^® receive Letters of Commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise. Commended Students are named on the basis of a nationally applied Selection Index score that may vary from year to year and is typically below the level required for participants to be named Semifinalists in their respective states. Although Commended Students do not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships, some of these students do become candidates for Special Scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses.

The 19 Jesuit seniors who are Commended Students in the 2018 competition are: Matt Alexander, William Brown, Patrick Calhoun, Thomas Curry, Benjamin Finicle, Ryan Guillot, David Hart, Andrew Hemelt, Nathan Koenig, Reese Leonard, Tucker McGuinness, Collin Miller, Luke Pertuit, Alexander Petty, Matthew Richards, Patrick Schwing, Luke Sisung, Norris Talbot, and Samuel Whitsell.

The faculty, administration, and staff of Jesuit High School congratulate the 35 National Merit Semifinalists, the 19 Commended Students, and the five National Hispanic Scholars for their significant academic achievement.