McClure, Wu Named 2020 National Merit Scholarship Winners

Two members of Nichols School’s Class of 2020 have been commended by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) for their high achievements in academics. Michael McClure ’20 and Junqi Wu ’20 were announced on Wednesday as two of the 2,500 winners across the United States. McClure and Wu each received a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship.

 

From approximately 1.6 million students who entered the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program, only about 16,000 were named Semifinalists. They were designated on a state representational basis, in proportion to each state’s percentage of the national total of graduating high school seniors. In order to advance in the competition and be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, a Semifinalist had to become a Finalist by fulfilling several requirements that included submitting a detailed scholarship application and presenting a record of very high academic performance. McClure and Wu were announced as Finalists on February 14.

 

The 2,500 National Merit Scholarships are the awards for which every Finalist is considered. Winners are named in every state, in numbers based on the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors. In addition, a number of recipients are chosen in the District of Columbia, schools in U.S. commonwealths and territories, schools in other countries that enroll U.S. citizens, and U.S. boarding schools that enroll a sizable portion of students from outside the state in which the school is located.

 

McClure will be attending the University of Chicago this fall, while Wu will be studying at the University at Buffalo.

 

Congratulations to Michael and Junqi, and we wish you all the best in your collegiate studies!