Earlier this month the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in its 65th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Two students from Flagler Palm Coast High School are on that list. They are Elizabeth Wolcott and Liying Wu. Both Wolcott and Wu now have the opportunity to compete for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million that will be offered next spring.
According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, over 1.5 million juniors entered the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2018 PSAT, which is an initial screen of program entrants. Those students who qualify as Semifinalists represent less than one percent of high school seniors.
Elizabeth Wolcott is the vice president of FPC’s Future Problem Solving program. She also dances at Mia Bella Academy of Dance. Elizabeth says her dream school would be Yale University but is also eyeing the University of Florida and Vassar College. She plans to major and pursue a career in mathematics.
Liying Wu has plans to attend the University of Chicago upon graduation. She is currently the vice-president of the school’s Bridge Club as well as a member of Future Problem Solvers, Mu Alpha Theta, and the Flagler Youth Orchestra.
Both young women are also enrolled in the FPCHS International Baccalaureate program.
National Merit Scholarship winners of 2020 will be announced between April and July. Since its inception in 1955, more than 345,000 young people have earned the Merit Scholar title.
Additional information on the program can be found at www.nationalmerit.org.
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