12 Redhawks now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for more than 7,600 scholarships worth more than $31 million after being named National Merit Semifinalists.

“It feels good to be selected,” senior Sona Shah said via text. “Although I was more preparing for the SAT, it’s great that my preparation for the SAT translated into scholarship opportunities after taking the PSAT.”

This year, a record 74 Frisco ISD students have been named semifinalists which is a 21 percent increase from last year.

“I feel grateful for the opportunity,” senior April Xu said. “I think it’s a good opportunity for all students. The PSAT is definitely a good way for students to earn scholarships. All juniors take it so everyone has an equal shot. It feels really great. It doesn’t really impact me that much but it’s nice to know that your hard work paid off.”

To advance to the finalist level of the competition, students will submit a detailed scholarship application, with finalists announced later this year.

The 12 Redhawks named finalists are: 

Reed Carlisle

Jasmine Marie Culilap

Eric Lynn

Keshav Narasimhan

Kapil Rampalli

Jessie Rho

Kaviyasri Saravanan

Andrew Sen

Sona Shah

Nandasri Talluri

April Xu

Judy Zhou