Four seniors named National Achievement Program semifinalists

Half of the eight Ann Arbor-area semifinalists for National Achievement Program scholarships this year are seniors at Greenhills.

The National Achievement Program is administered by the same organization that runs the National Merit Scholarship program. Each year about 160,000 students enter the program nationwide, but only one in 100 of them actually makes it to the semifinalist stage.

Only 51 students across Michigan qualified as semifinalists. At Greenhills, they are:

• Elisia E. Ceballo-Countryman

• Makaila Desano-Smith

• Stephanie C. Uduji

• Laura D. Watson

 The National Achievement Program was established in 1964 to recognize outstanding African American high school students. It’s run at the same time but separately from the National Merit Scholarship program; while it’s possible to be honored by both programs, students can receive only one monetary award from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

About half the semifinalists, or about 800 students each year, qualify for National Achievement $2,500 Scholarships or corporate-sponsored Achievement Scholarship awards.

Semifinalists learn in January whether they’ve advanced to become finalists; they find out beginning in late February whether they’ve been selected to receive a scholarship.