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Sixty-six Hawaii high school students are semifinalists in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Nationwide some 16,000 semifinalists are among 1.5 million students who entered the program by taking the 2014 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen. The semifinalists were the highest-scoring entrants in each state, with the number of semifinalists in a state being proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
Finalists will be announced in February. And next spring, some 7,400 scholarships worth more than $32 million will be offered through the annual competition.
Here’s a list of Hawaii’s semifinalists.
>> Honolulu — Damien Memorial High School: Melissa Malia N. Gozun; Hawaii Baptist Academy: Sydney K. Suzuki; ‘Iolani School: Brandon T. Chew, Dante K. Hirata-Epstein, Taja K. Hirata-Epstein, James D. Jenkins, Jazmyn L. Kim, Koen K. Komeya, Kevin Liu, Kaishu A. Mason, Darwin Peng, Kylie M. Schatz, Aidan M. Swope, Isaac M. Taguchi, Kaitlyn L. Takata, Kento Tanaka, Reece Y. Tanaka, Jenna K. Tom, Kai Warner, Jasmine Wong and David H. Young; Kaiser High School: Sophie G. Bender; Kalani High School: Darrell Y. Huang and Peter M. Johnson; Kamehameha Schools Kapalama High School: Atheena K. Arasoo and Isabella A. Pappalardo; McKinley High School: Vivien Y. Chen; Mid-Pacific Institute: Huey M. Fields; Punahou School: Michael L. Chen, Allisen S. Corpuz, Beobgwan Do, Nicholas P. Gardetto, Theodore Q. Huo, Cassandra J. Ingram, Arthur Johnston, Kassidy Y. Kanja, Mark P. Klein, Forest D. Kobayashi, Serena Le, Thomas C. Mahon, Kelly O. Marshall, Emily T. McKenna, Andrew D. Moore, Kailea A. Moseley, Ryan I. Ogasawara, Daniel A. Ota, Hyeon-Jae Seo, Maia Shideler and Evan S. Uyeno; Roosevelt High School: Andrew S. Pang and Carmen E. Yim; Sacred Hearts Academy High School: Annie Oh; St. Andrew’s Priory School: Kailani N. Linton; and University Laboratory School: Cayleigh A. Soderholm
>> Kailua — home-schooled: Elissa M. Uithol; and Le Jardin Academy: Ella W. Rosenlinn
>> Kamuela — Hawaii Preparatory Academy: Tristan C. Kilkenny, Jordan E. Virtue and Will R. White; and Parker School: Carolyn Hiller
>> Lihue — Island School: Daniel E. Wu
>> Makawao — King Kekaulike High School: Keane K. Chan Hodges
>> Mililani — Mililani High School: Risa C. Askerooth, Kayli R. Chun and Tyler P. Villegas
>> Wailuku — Baldwin High School: Andrew Z. Teoh
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