Mooney senior named Merit semifinalist

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GIANNA PARELLA

Gianna Parella, a senior at Cardinal Mooney High School, has been named a semifinalist by the National Merit Scholarship Program.

She is one of 16,000 students nationally who have been selected to compete for 8,300 Merit Scholarship Awards valued at more than $32 million that will be awarded next spring.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. Those named semifinalists represent less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors. Ninety percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.

Gianna is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Greg Parella of Canfield. She is a member of the school’s girls tennis, varsity swimming and speech and debate teams. She serves on student council, is a Link Crew Leader and peer tutor. In addition, she is active in the school’s Service Club.

She plans to major in chemical engineering and to pursue a career in the energy sector. While her college plans are indefinite, Parella is currently considering enrolling at the University of Notre Dame or M.I.T.