Two talented Oakridge students – Brad Greer and Tushar Kohli – are semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program for 2019. They are among 16,000 semifinalists named Wednesday, Sept. 12 as part of the 64th annual academic competition.

The students, who were selected based on scores on a PSAT qualifying test, will compete for some 7,500 scholarships worth more than $31 million, to be awarded this spring.

More than 1.6 million juniors from about 22,000 high schools entered the competition by taking the 2017 Preliminary SAT. The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. These seniors, most of whom will advance to finalist status, must submit a scholarship application that includes an outstanding academic record, a recommendation from their schools, an essay, and SAT scores that confirm the results of the PSAT. 

“We are extremely proud of Brad and Tushar who have achieved a truly significant academic accomplishment,” said Head of School Jon Kellam. “Equally impressive is that both of these young men embody Oakridge’s mission, which emphasizes social responsibility, mutual respect and personal integrity.”  

Butch Groves, Head of Upper School, said Brad and Tushar are representative of a very gifted senior class at Oakridge. “There are 36 students in the Class of 2019 who have been named AP Scholars. That means they’ve earned a 3 or higher on three or more Advanced Placement exams. It is definitely an achievement worth noting. As with our previous senior classes, this group is applying to universities across the U.S. —  ranging from Stanford and USC, to Dartmouth and Davidson, and from TCU to the University of Texas.” 

In addition to scholarships awarded by the non-profit National Merit organization, about 1,000 corporate-sponsored awards and an additional 4,000 college-sponsored awards will be chosen, according to the group. Some colleges award full-tuition (or more) scholarships to National Merit Semifinalists or National Merit Finalists.