Eight seniors from Great Hearts Academies have qualified as National Merit finalists.

Included is Emma Smith, a senior at Great Hearts Glendale Preparatory Academy, 23276 N. 83rd Ave., Suite 1, Peoria.

The National Merit Scholarship program is one of the most prestigious scholarships in the U.S. The annual academic competition identifies and honors academically talented high school students across the country. Since its founding, the program has recognized more than 3.4 million students and provided an estimated 451,000 scholarships worth over $1.8 billion.

Smith plans to study an interdisciplinary combination of classics, philosophy, history and art next year. She is awaiting results from multiple scholarship invitations, which will determine where she attends college in the fall.

“My advice to any high school student applying for the National Merit Scholarship is to utilize the free test preparation website Khan Academy and focus on the areas of the test you need the most practice,” Smith said. “Additionally, register to take an official SAT right after the PSAT since you have done all the preparation.”

There are three sections on the PSAT (math, reading and writing) and to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship, students need to score within the top 1% of their state. To be competitive, students need to score about 1400 on the PSAT.

But the National Merit Scholarship is not just about test scores.

Once they qualify, students must submit an essay, usually about an obstacle they’ve overcome, a letter of recommendation, and their high school transcript. A committee of college admission officers and high school counselors then select the finalists.

As a National Merit Scholarship finalist, Smith was chosen out of 1.5 million entrants. She will receive a $2,500 scholarship.

“Scoring in the top 1% in the state of Arizona is a very realistic goal for many juniors across the Great Hearts network,” Great Hearts Director of College Counseling Roslyn Fletcher said. “We expose our high school students to the PSAT early by administering the official PSAT to all 10th grade students across the network. This exposure along with encouraging students to utilize free, personalized test prep through Khan Academy generally result in six to 12 semifinalists/finalists each year.”

The seven other Great Hearts Academy students selected are Grace Horner, senior at Great Hearts Scottsdale Preparatory Academy; Raywon Kim, senior at Great Hearts Scottsdale Preparatory Academy; Travis Santa, senior at Great Hearts Scottsdale Preparatory Academy; Ibrahim Laleka senior at Great Hearts North Phoenix Preparatory Academy; Pierce Liestenfeltz, senior at Great Hearts Cicero Preparatory Academy; Luke Murray, senior at Great Hearts Cicero Preparatory Academy; and Ian Miranda, senior at Great Hearts Chandler Preparatory Academy.

Visit Greathearts.com.