William Kolimago, a senior at Bishop Shanahan High School, has been named a 2023 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist. (Dr. Robert Moran/Bishop Shanahan High School)

CatholicPhilly.com Staff Report • Posted September 29, 2022

Ten students from four archdiocesan high schools have been recognized for academic excellence by one of the country’s best-known and longest-running scholarship programs.

The National Merit Scholarship (NMS) Corporation has named William Kolimago, a senior at Bishop Shanahan High School, as a 2023 NMS semifinalist.

Nine others have been designated as 2023 NMS commended students: Kolimago’s classmates Michael Dougherty, Jocelyn Howell, Matthew Howe and Brendan Scott; Rohan Rathod and  Daniel L. Romano and of Archbishop Wood High School; Raymond Brandon and Noah Sharrets of Cardinal O’Hara High School; and Harry Davies of Lansdale Catholic High School.

The students join an elite cohort among their peers throughout the country. Kolimago is one of some 16,000 NMS semifinalists who will eligible to compete for one of 7,250 NMS scholarships worth more than $28 million in total.

Archdiocesan student is among the approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.  The nationwide pool of Semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors. Semifinalists have the opportunity to continue in the competition for 7,250 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $28 million that will be offered in spring 2023.

Daniel L. Romano (left) and Rohan Rathod of Archbishop Wood High School were named commended students by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. (Archbishop Wood High School)

Some 34,000 students are formally commended by NMS, and are eligible as candidates for special NMS scholarships sponsored by various corporations and businesses.

Students enter the competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) during their junior year.

Of the 1.5 million entrants, some 50,000 with the highest PSAT/NMSQT Selection Index scores  — which are calculated by doubling the sum of scores in reading, writing, language and mathematics tests) – qualify for NMS recognition as either commended students or seminfinalists.

The NMS program was founded in 1955 to promote scholastic excellence. Scholarship winners are chosen based on abilities, skills, extracurricular activities and potential for college and post-graduate success. The NMSC is privately funded by some 400 sponsors who underwrite the majority of its scholarships.

Prominent recipients of the NMSC scholarships include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, film director M. Night Shyamalan and U.S Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

Harry Davies, a senior at Lansdale Catholic High School, has been named a 2023 National Merit Scholarship Commended Student (Bishop Shanahan High School)

Bishop Shanahan High School seniors (left to right) Michael Dougherty, Matthew Howe, Jocelyn Howell and Brendan Scott have been named as 2023 National Merit Scholarship Commended Students. (Amy Seifert/Bishop Shanahan High School)