Pioneer Valley High School student Kristin Barclay, 17, has a lot to look forward to - including the possibility of a nearly free college education.

Since she was named a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist earlier this month, the senior has already begun receiving scholarships offers, including a roughly $42,000 offer from Arizona State University.

Never mind that she hadn't even applied to the school.

Though she has no intention of attending Arizona State (she has her sights set on UC Berkeley and hates the desert heat), Barclay said the offer may be a preview of what good things await her because of her stellar performance in the prestigious National Merit Scholarship competition.

And it's not over yet.

As a semifinalist, Barclay is eligible to vie for a shot at becoming a finalist in the competition and earn one of the 8,200 merit scholarships totaling some $35 million.

“It makes me realize that I'll be able to pay for college more easily,” Barclay said of her status as a National Merit semifinalist. “It makes (college) more real.”

Advertisement

Each year, more than

1.5 million high school juniors from across the United States enter the National Merit Scholarship program by taking the Preliminary SAT, or, PSAT, which serves as a screening test for entrants.

In order to ensure the geographical diversity of the scholarship candidates, the top scorers in each state - approximately 16,000 students total - advance in the competition as semifinalists.

The recipients represent less than 1 percent of high school seniors in the country.

Barclay is one of three local students named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists. The other two are Taylor Seyfert of Santa Maria High School and Hannah Kovach of Arroyo Grande High School.

Even if they don't actually get a scholarship, advancing to the semifinals will open up more than a few doors for the trio.

That's because the National Merit Scholarship Corporation - the organization that runs the competition - refers high-scoring participants to two colleges or universities of their choice.

Also, each year approximately 1,500 National Merit program participants who are deemed “outstanding,” but don't qualify as finalists, receive special scholarships provided by corporations and business organizations through the program.

For Barclay, that may mean a chance to pursue her degree in social welfare for free.

The overachieving teen said she wants to work with children with disabilities and make their parents become aware of all the resources they can access for their child.

After watching her younger sister struggle with cerebral palsy, Barclay says she realized “a lot of the time, people with disabilities are limited because they weren't educated on what's available.”

To prepare for her future career, the straight-A student has become involved with a new club on campus, Panther Pals, which pairs “general” education students with special education students for weekly lunches and a monthly outing.

Between Panther Pals, looming college application deadlines and keeping up with classes, Barclay has a lot on her plate in the coming months.

As for the National Merit Scholarship competition, Barclay's strategy is to take it all in stride.

“If I get further, that's great, but if not, I'm happy with just being a semifinalist,” she said.

Natalie Ragus can be reached at 347-4580 or nragus@santamariatimes.com

October 4, 2008