A senior at Pope John Paul II Preparatory School and a parishioner at Christ the King Church in Nashville have been named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists and are eligible for college scholarships awarded through the organization.
Lillian Pinkston of Pope Prep and Gregory Gomez, a senior at Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet for Health Sciences and Engineering in Nashville and a graduate of Christ the King School, are among more than 16,000 semifinalists across the country in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
Semifinalists will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,250 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring.
Pinkston, the daughter of Dr. John and Carrie Pinkston, is a parishioner at St. Joseph Church in Madison and a graduate of the parish school.
Gomez, who is the son of Julia and Joe Gomez, was also recognized as a National Hispanic Scholar.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.
The semifinalists were selected based on their scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, administered during their junior year. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.
Pope Prep and Father Ryan High School also had several students who were honored as Commended Students in recognition of their academic promise, although they will not continue in the scholarship competition.
The 12 Father Ryan commended students are:
- Caitlyn Auberson, a Holy Rosary Academy alumna and a parishioner of Cathedral of the Incarnation. She is taking six AP courses this year and completed five additional AP courses as a sophomore and junior. She is a member of the Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society and the National Honor Society.
- Mark Ciampa, a St. Bernard Academy alumnus and a parishioner of Cathedral of the Incarnation. He is taking five AP courses as a senior and completed four additional AP courses during his sophomore and junior years. He is a member of the Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society and the National Honor Society.
- Katie Cummings, a St. Bernard Academy alumna and a parishioner of Christ the King. She is taking six AP courses this year and took three additional AP courses her sophomore and junior years. She is a member of the Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society and the National Honor Society.
- Faith Geshwiler, a graduate of Christ the King and a parishioner of Holy Family Church in Brentwood. She is taking four AP courses this year. Additionally, she took one AP course her junior year. She is a member of the Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society, National Honor Society and the Latin Honor Society.
- Raymond Hmuifoo, an alumnus and parishioner of Holy Rosary Academy. He is taking seven AP courses as a senior and took five additional AP courses his sophomore and junior years. He is a member of the Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society.
- Liam Kane, a former student of St. John Paul the Great High School in Virginia and a parishioner of Holy Family. As a senior, he is taking four AP courses and took four AP courses during his junior year. He is a member of the National Honor Society.
- Katie MacClary, a graduate of Page Middle School and a parishioner at Holy Family. She is taking four AP courses this year and took four additional AP courses during her sophomore and junior years. She is a member of the National Honor Society.
- Claire Maxwell, a St. Henry alumna and parishioner. She is taking three AP courses this year and took two additional AP courses her sophomore and junior years. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society.
- Fiona Mikhail, a graduate and parishioner of St. Henry. As a senior, she is taking three AP courses and has taken two other AP courses as a sophomore and junior. She is a member of the Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society and the National Honor Society.
- Nico Paz, who came to Father Ryan from Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami. As a senior, he is taking five AP courses, with an additional eight AP courses taken over his first three years at Father Ryan. He is a member of the National Honor Society.
- Genevieve St. Jacques, an alumna of Grassland Middle and a Holy Family parishioner. She is taking five AP courses as a senior and took four AP courses her junior year. She is a member of the National Honor Society.
- Matteo Ward, a St. Ann alumnus and parishioner. He is taking six AP courses as a senior and completed four additional AP courses as a junior. He is a member of the National Honor Society and the Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society.
The Pope Prep commended students are:
- Sara Grubbs, the daughter of Michael and Deanna Grubbs, is a graduate of Sumner Academy in Gallatin and a member of Long Hollow Baptist Church.
- Rachel McCann, the daughter of Eric and Tara McCann, is a graduate of Sumner Academy in Gallatin and a member of Providence United Methodist Church.
- Abigail Orendorff, the daughter of Jason and Olivia Orendorff, was homeschooled before attending Pope Prep.
