Central High School Senior Robert Ou Named a National Merit Semifinalist

San Angelo ISD and Central High School proudly celebrate Central High School senior Robert Ou for being named a National Merit Semifinalist by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Ou is one of 16,000 national high school senior semi-finalists who have the opportunity to compete for 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million during the upcoming spring. 

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semi-finalists must fulfill requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 95% of the semi-finalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. 

“Central is honored to have Robert as a student. A student must be motivated to become a Semi-finalist,” said Central High School Principal Jill Ross. “It is a goal that is not undertaken lightly. This achievement requires a significant amount of time to study and practice to achieve.”

High school juniors entered the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

San Angelo ISD extends a heartfelt congratulations to Robert Ou on this honor and wishes him luck as he moves forward through the National Merit Scholar process. We thank our SAISD educators who have helped him along his educational journey and prepare our students to be future-ready, whatever that future may be. 

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About the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) 

NMSC, a non-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 320 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC’s goal of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.