Maranatha Juniors Achievement in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program

Congratulations to Maranatha juniors Caleb Cheung, Erica De Guzman, Jacob Henderson, Matthew Peng, and Jingyi Wang for being acknowledged in the National Merit Scholarship Program, which is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and university scholarships administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).  High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.6 million entrants each year. Of those, 50,000 (3.3%) are Commended Scholars. Talented young people from all parts of the United States are included in this talent pool.

Our Commended Scholars are not just academically talented. These are well-rounded juniors who are also accomplished musicians, artists, community servants, ASB leaders, club presidents, SeaPerch Underwater Robotics winners, Speech and Debate winners/finalists, athletes, worship leaders, survivors, and much more. Dean of Academics Dr. Rocio Watkins, said, “Our Commended Scholars are beyond scholars - they are also merit servant leaders, who peer tutor, serve the community, take four additional units of Theology courses in order to graduate from our school, and who go on mission and service trips. Most importantly, each of these students has faced adversity with grit and resilience as a result of being at our school. Maranatha has been the space in the past three years where they have flourished, been mentored, been supported and encouraged, been known by name by each of their teachers, and where they have learned and achieved. One of these merit scholars is an International Student from China, meaning that this accomplishment was achieved in her second language, not in her primary language, which is a remarkable example of hard work and dedication.”  

Each of these five juniors represents a great life story of which Maranatha will continue to be a part during the students' senior year. They will take with them a legacy of service, faith, scholarship, and mentorship from Maranatha that will continue their story as they begin their college journey.