Senior Hailey Oppenlander has been named a National Merit Finalist in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship competition.
Less than one percent of the more than 1.6 million students who entered the National Merit competition qualify as finalists. Hailey is now eligible to compete for National Merit Scholarships totaling more than $32 million to be awarded later this spring.
"The National Merit finalist designation confirms what we at NDCL have known about Hailey all along: She is an exceptionally talented young woman with an even more impressive drive to use her gifts to achieve and make a positive difference in our world," commented Principal
Mr. Joseph A. Waler.
"I am confident that the successes Hailey has experienced in high school are just glimpses of the great things she will accomplish in college, career, and life," Mr. Waler added.
Earlier this year, Hailey qualified as a National Merit semi-finalist by scoring exceptionally well on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test as a junior. To earn finalist status, she submitted a successful application detailing her academic records, participation in school and community activities, leadership abilities, honors, and awards.
Hailey will attend the University of Notre Dame, where she is considering a major in American studies. She will be joined under Notre Dame's Golden Dome by classmate and friend Nora Nelson.