Oxford High School has announced that seven exceptional students have advanced to National Merit finalists in the annual National Merit Scholarship program. “These outstanding students have demonstrated exceptional academic prowess and dedication, earning them this opportunity,” stated a press release.

The National Merit finalists from Oxford High School are Captain Alexander, Gates Allen, Charlie Fruge, Gilad Goulet, Scarlet Hemmins, Navaneeth Srinath and Georgia Wigginton.

National Merit finalists are selected based on their outstanding scores on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in their junior year. This honor is awarded to fewer than 1 percent of high school seniors nationwide.

These seven OHS seniors now have the opportunity to compete for National Merit Scholarships worth about $28 million.

To become a finalist, each of these students submitted a detailed scholarship application showcasing their academic record, their participation in school and community activities, their demonstrated leadership abilities and their honors and awards received.

A finalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

Oxford High School congratulated these seven students on their remarkable achievement and wished them the best of luck in the final stage of the competition.