In the running for a National Merit Scholarship

Tanya Berkebile | Cadillac News Kayla Zuiderveen writes down some notes for an essay. The Northern Michigan Christian senior qualified as a semi-finalist in the 2008 National Merit Scholarship Program. She has the opportunity to compete for some 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards worth $34 million.

MCBAIN — This is going to be a long school year for Kayla Zuiderveen.

It is not just because it is her senior year and she is excited for life after high school, but more so because she will be waiting to hear if she is a Merit Scholarship winner.

“I am really proud of myself — it’s exciting,” the Northern Michigan Christian senior said. “I really hope I am selected because the scholarship money would really help out a lot.”

Throughout the United States, about 16,000 students met the requirements to become a semifinalist in the 53rd annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These students have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards, worth $34 million, that will be offered next spring.

The news that she was a semi-finalist for the scholarship program was not a total surprise for Zuiderveen. During the last school year, a counselor told her that she was on the edge of being in the 98th percentile of the PSAT /NMSQT, which qualifies students for the scholarship program.

But with more than 1.4 million juniors taking the tests, and less than one percent qualifying, she didn’t want to get her hopes up.

“I had hopes and anticipations that I would qualify, but I didn’t really think about it much,” she said.

Zuiderveen is the only student from the local four-county area who qualified. For NMC, the last scholarship winner was in 1999, although there have been students who were named honorable mention since then.

The next step for Zuiderveen is to write an essay about herself and fill out a detailed application. Her score on the upcoming SAT also will be taken into consideration. Because there is a basketball district tournament on the date of the local SAT tests, she plans to take the test in Grand Rapids at a later date.

What worried her the most about the process was writing the essay.

“It is a 500 word essay that is about myself,” she said. “It wouldn’t be a problem if it was a normal essay where you are given a topic, but it is hard to write about myself. It feels like bragging.”

About 15,000 semifinalists will advance to the finalist level, according to a release by the National Merit Scholarship Program. From that group, the Merit Scholarship winners will be chosen.

Zuiderveen said she hasn’t made a decision as to where to go to college yet, but she does have two in mind — those being Calvin College and Alma College.

“What I do know is I want to go into the science field,” she said. “But I am not sure exactly what yet. It could be anything from saving the sea turtles or blowing things up.”

Whatever she plans to do, NMC Principal Marilyn Visser said Zuiderveen has what it takes to succeed.

“She’s been given a lot of God-given talents and works hard to develop on those skills and talents,” Visser said. “She is well rounded and enjoys being around people.”

Winners of the 2008 Merit Scholarship will be announced sometime between April and July. There are $2,500 state scholarships worth $2,500 each; about 1,100 corporate-sponsored national scholarships; and 4,600 college-sponsored scholarships available.

Your local connection

In the running

Out of more than 1.4 million juniors in nearly 21,000 high schools across the United States who took the 2006 PSAT/NMSQT test, a local NMC student finished in the 98th percentile, which qualified her as a semifinalist for the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Kayla Zuiderveen, a senior at Northern Michigan Christian School in McBain, now must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level. She is the only semifinalist in the four-county area.

Throughout the United States, about 16,000 students met the requirements to become a semifinalist in the 53rd annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These students have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards, worth $34 million, that will be offered next spring.

tberkebile@cadillacnews.com | 775-NEWS (6397)