Local Student Becomes a National Merit Scholar Finalist Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School Senior Hannah Holliday has been selected as a National Merit Scholarship Finalist. She is the only student in a Diocese of St. Petersburg high school to be named a Finalist. To become a Finalist, a Semifinalist must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about their 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 scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. From the approximately 16,000 Semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference. Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School provides a Christ-centered education that nurtures the development of the whole person and prepares young men and women to meet successfully the challenges of our global society. For more information on Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School, go to https://www.bmchs.com.