GILROY—On Oct. 8, Kevin Dinh and Shelby McClelland received a special honor given only to the nation’s best and brightest high school students.
The Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy seniors were named Commended Students in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from GECA and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation—which runs the program—was presented by principal Sonia Flores to the students.
Around 34,000 Commended Students throughout the country were recognized for their academic excellence.
Commended Students will not continue competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, but placed among the top five percent out of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2015 competition. Students took the 2013 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test to enter the competition.
Dihn and McClelland are, however, still eligible to receive special scholarships sponsored by businesses and corporations.
The National Merit Scholarship Program began in 1955 and is an academic competition for scholarships.
