National Merit Semifinalists in South Bay Announced

Students from 10 South Bay communities have qualified as semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. The semifinalists are those who scored highest in the state on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test in 1986 and who meet Merit Program participation requirements.

The South Bay scholars are among 15,000 young men and women from across the country who have qualified to compete for finalist positions. From the approximately 13,500 students expected to qualify as finalists, about 6,000 will be named Merit Scholars.

The South Bay semifinalists and their schools are: Melanie S. Murakami and Kathy M. Yano, Gardena High School; Tanya L. Baker and Ernest Chuang, Westchester High School; Tanja G. Brull, James J. Hugunin and Mark E. Sundeen, Mira Costa High School, Manhattan Beach; Ralph W. Charlton, Elsie A. Chiang, Hohn D. Cho, Jeffrey E. Conway, David G. Criley, Marni J. Friedman, Karen E. Gale, Mark Lakata, Peter L. Lim, John C. Louie, Wanjiku A. Moite, Frederick M. Ralph, William E. Reeves, Scott W. Ruston, D. David Scudamore, Sangita N. Shah, Gregory A. Weiss, Jeffrey C. Whitley and William Yeh of Palos Verdes High School, Palos Verdes Estates; John M. Clyman, Stephen E. Florance, Sonja M. Henrikson, Eleanor S. Hughes, Larry R. Lancaster, Jason M. Mok and Michael A. Sheldon of Chadwick School, Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Others are: Linda Y. Ba, John B. Caple, Steven Kan and Derek S. Kubota of Miraleste High School, Rancho Palos Verdes; Mark R. Busch and Gregory M. Levin of Redondo Union High School, Redondo Beach; Ashkan Babaie, Daniel W. Baker, Brian C. Banister, David J. Bassler, Michael B. Binnard, Steven J. Chang, Christine E. Chen, Marc F. Clemente, William S. Hale, Kathleen A. Ho, Bibiana J. Kim, Kimberly A. Ladd, David B. Lee, Jerome H. Liu, Jill E. Lusher, Cynthia A. Nastanski, Sandra H. Tan, Lily M. Tung, Patricia J. Tung and Joseph Y. Viola of Rolling Hills High School, Rolling Hills Estates; Franco Caruso, Andor G. Czigeledi and Jerri H. Martin of San Pedro High School, San Pedro.

Semifinalists from Torrance are: Valerie I. Johnson, Bishop Montgomery High School; Daniel T. Matsuda and Camille L. Mitzner, North High School; Brian T. McGovney and Julie Zantke, South High School; Robert S. Base, Kurt B. Burgner, Jean L. Chang, Karen D. Fullenwider, Andrew A. Oda, Sarah L. Shreeves and Terry D. Williams, Torrance High School.

Names of students who qualify as finalists will be announced in February. Merit Scholars will be announced in April and May.

Every finalist will have a chance to win one of the 1,800 one-time awards of $2,000. These are underwritten with undesignated program funds and grants from company and business sponsors.

About 1,400 scholarships are provided by corporations, foundations and business organizations for finalists who have qualifications that particularly interest these groups. Most of the winners of corporate-sponsored scholarships will be children of employees of the sponsor company. Nearly all the sponsored scholarships are renewable for up to four years of college, but a few are one-time awards.

College and university sponsors are expected to provide more than 2,800 four-year Merit Scholarships in 1988. They are offered with the stipulation that the winner must attend the institution financing the scholarship.

Four South Bay high school seniors have been named as semifinalists in the 1988 National Achievement Scholarship Program for Outstanding Negro Students.

South Bay semifinalists are: Deshounn A. Richmond, Leuzinger High School, Lawndale; Linda G. Matthews, Westchester High School, Westchester; Tara I. Walters, Mira Costa High School, Manhattan Beach, and Nicola K. Caldwell, St. Bernard High School, Playa del Rey.

They will now have the opportunity to compete with the 1,500 other semifinalists across the country for nearly 700 Achievement Scholarships, worth more than $2 million, to be awarded next spring.

The semifinalists were designated from the approximately 80,000 black students who requested consideration for this program when they took the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test in 1986.

About 1,200 semifinalists are expected to qualify as finalists, who will have a chance to win one of the 350 single-payment, $2,000 National Achievement Scholarships.

Approximately 200 four-year scholarships will be sponsored by corporations, foundations and professional organizations. An additional 150 renewable Achievement Scholarships will be provided by colleges and universities that sponsor them for finalists who will attend their institutions. Winners of these awards will receive between $250 and $2,000 for each of the four years of study.