By Staff
Kenneth K. Stallworth, a senior at T.R. Miller High School, is among 19 Alabama public high school students who have won National Achievement Scholarships for undergraduate study.
Alabama's winners are among the more than 800 African-American high school seniors in the nation who will share more than $2.5 million in scholarships.
The 2007 Achievement Scholars receive one of 700 National Achievement $2,500 Scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) or one of 100 corporate-sponsored Achievement Scholarships, which can range from $500 to $10,000 or provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000.
The National Achievement Program is a privately financed, academic competition established in 1964 specifically to honor scholastically talented African-American youth. NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, conducts the minority scholarship program. Since 1964, almost 28,000 students have earned scholarships worth approximately $88 million.
Alabama's 19 Achievement Scholars were chosen from more than 140,000 students who requested consideration when they took the 2005 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) as high school juniors. NMSC narrowed the field to approximately 1,600 Semifinalists, who had to fulfill requirements for Finalist standing to compete for Achievement Scholarships. Finalist requirements include a record of consistently high academic performance; endorsement and recommendation by an official from student's high school; SAT scores that confirm PSAT/NMSQT performance; and an essay about personal interests, attainments, and goals.
Some 1,300 Semifinalists advanced to Finalist level. The 800 Achievement Scholars for 2007 are the Finalist candidates judged to have the strongest record of accomplishments and greatest potential for academic success in college.
For more information on National Achievement Scholarships, contact Elaine Detweiler or Eileen Artemakis at 847-866-5100 or mediainfo@nmerit.net, or visit the Web site at www.nationalmerit.org.