Meridian students National Merit finalists

By By Georgia E. Frye / staff writer
March 20, 2003
Lamar High School senior David Culpepper said being named a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program is a "great honor."
Culpepper, one of three high school seniors in Meridian who are finalists, said he plans to attend either Birmingham-Southern or Millsaps College in Jackson next fall.
Culpepper joins fellow Lamar senior Dave Hicks and Meridian High School senior Brennan Z. Vaughn as finalists in the program. Northeast High School junior Neville McFerrin was honored for her high test scores.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a privately financed academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. The National Merit Scholarship Corp. administers the program.
National Merit Scholarship Program finalists are determined based on PSAT and SAT scores a national standardized test often used for college admissions. Students also must submit an essay.
In September, the National Merit Scholarship Corp. recognized about 16,000 semifinalists nationwide. Finalists were selected from that group; of those, 8,000 will be selected to receive Merit Scholarship awards.
Awards include $2,500 from the Nation Merit Corp., corporate-sponsored awards and college sponsored awards.
Hicks is the second in his family to qualify as a National Merit finalist. Hicks said he plans to attend Texas A&M this fall and major in mechanical engineering.
Vaughn said he is surprised by the recognition.
McFerrin was recognized for scoring in the top 98 percentile on the PSAT test.
While she is undecided about which college she will attend, she said she is "extremely interested in museum curatorship and neuroscience."
She said she would like to find a way to integrate the two professions into one career.