REGION 17 local seniors become Merit Scholar semifinalists

They're among a group of 16,000 from across the U.S.
Seventeen high school seniors from schools in the region have been named semifinalists in the 49th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
The seniors are among 16,000 students across the country named semifinalists, representing less than 1 percent of high school seniors nationwide.
The semifinalists were chosen based on their scores on the 2002 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test and now have the opportunity to compete for about 8,000 scholarships worth $32 million.
The local semifinalists from Ohio are:
Emily J. Duda and Joshua J. Hill of Ursuline High School in Youngstown.
Michael J. Gallo of Liberty High School.
Charlotte A. Gerard of Howland High School (studying in Germany this year).
Zachary J. Liptak of Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown.
Ian C. Mallory of East Liverpool High School.
Jeffrey A. Morckel of West Branch High School in Beloit.
Ross E. Munroe of Boardman High School.
Shawn C. Roggenkamp of Alliance High School.
Ryan M. Shaffer, home schooled, of West Farmington.
Tyler J. Theofilos of Poland Seminary High School.
Laura A. Vershum of Canfield High School.
Dana E. Vogtmann of Edgewood High School in Ashtabula.
In Pennsylvania, local semifinalists are:
Elise M. Gabriel and Brittany N. Steele of Neshannock High School.
Katherine M. Grober of Hickory High School in Hermitage.
Bradley H. Morneweck of Lakeview High School in Stoneboro.
What it takes
To become finalists, semifinalists must have a record of high academic performance, be endorsed by their school principals, earn qualifying SAT scores and submit an application that includes an essay and information about school and community activities. About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to fulfill all requirements to become finalists.
Scholarships awarded through the National Merit Program are underwritten by approximately 500 business organizations and higher education institutions as well as by funds from the nonprofit National Merit Scholarship Corp., which conducts the program.