The National Achievement Scholarship Program has announced that Chesterton High School senior Matrika Laster is one of more than 1,600 Black American high school seniors designated as Semifinalists in the annual Achievement Scholarship® competition. These scholastically talented students now have an opportunity to continue in the competition for approximately 800 scholarships worth over $2.5 million to be awarded next spring.

Laster, the daughter of Deidra Laster of Chesterton, is active in Japanese club, Anime club, Creative Writers club and Japanese Olympiad. She plans to attend Cornell University to study veterinary medicine.

The National Achievement Program, conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), is a privately financed academic competition that operates without government assistance. It was initiated in 1964 to recognize promising black students throughout the nation and to provide scholarships to a substantial number of the most outstanding participants. To date, over 27,800 young men and women have received Achievement Scholarship awards worth more than $88 million.

Approximately 1,300 Semifinalists are expected to fulfill additional requirements and advance to the Finalist level in the 2013 program. All National Achievement Scholars will be selected from the Finalist group on the basis of their abilities, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

About the Competition

More than 140,000 high school juniors from all parts of the United States requested consideration in the 2013 National Achievement Program when they took the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). Semifinalists were designated within geographic regions and are the highest-scoring program entrants in the states that make up each region.

To advance to the Finalist level in the competition, Semifinalists must present a record of high academic performance throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the PSAT/NMSQT performance. Also, the Semifinalist and a school official must complete a scholarship application in which they provide information about the student’s participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, and educational goals. The considerable amount of information collected about each Finalist will be used in the selection of scholarship winners.

Achievement Scholarship awards provided in 2013 will be supported by corporations, foundations, professional organizations, and NMSC’s own funds. Two types of scholarships will be offered. Every Finalist will be considered for one of 700 National Achievement $2,500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a regional representation basis. In addition, about 100 corporate-sponsored Achievement Scholarship awards will be financed by corporations, foundations, and professional organizations for Finalists who meet criteria set by the grantor.

NMSC will release the names of scholarship winners to news media in early April.

Posted 9/25/2012