The National Merit Scholarship Corporation selected 16,000 National Merit Semifinalists across the country, including 44 members of the Class of 2022, based on students’ SAT or PSAT/NMSQT scores.

Semifinalist Andrew Choe ’22 said he is glad to be designated a National Merit Semifinalist and is thankful for the school’s support throughout the standardized testing process. 

“I am honored to be named a National Merit Semifinalist,” Choe said. “In a year where standardized testing was made difficult by the pandemic, the school did an [extraordinary] job working to provide testing opportunities for students. [Going forward,] I hope to advance in the competition for the Merit Scholarship award [and earn] a scholarship for college.”

Semifinalist Olivia Feldman ’22 shared a similar sentiment and said she is honored to share this achievement with her peers and the school community. 

“[The designation] felt like a pay-off for the time I spent studying for the test,” Feldman said. “I am truly glad to be able to share this honor with my classmates. I think the [fact that 43 other students were named Semifinalists] goes to show how [academically] strong Harvard-Westlake students are, as well as how well the school manages to prepare students for standardized testing.”

With 44 Semifinalists, the Class of 2022 contains one of the greatest number of Semifinalists, second only to the Class of 2014’s record of 54 Semifinalists. 

Head of Upper School Beth Slattery said she is pleased with this year’s results, especially given the obstacles COVID-19 presented to seniors. 

“I am beyond proud of the students’ achievements, considering the circumstances of the challenging year,” Slattery said. “This year, we had [one of] the largest numbers of Semifinalists in the past decade. When I look at other schools [that] have more qualifying Semifinalists, they are mostly larger public schools across the country. The fact that we were able to produce so many Semifinalists within our community is even more incredible.”