The National Metrit Scholar program has been one of the more prestigious programs in the country which provides scholarship money to America’s best and brightest high-school students who wish to matriculate to a college or university.

In the spring of 2018, about 7,500 American high-school seniors will be awarded scholarships with a total value of about $32 million, and more than 40 Tucson students were selected as semi-finalists for these prestigious awards. About nine in ten of the semi-finalists will become finalists, and about half of those will earn the scholarships and become Merit Scholars.

Of the local list of semifinalists, 3 are home-schooled, and 17 come from University High School, more than the other public schools combined (14). Following is the full list of National Merit Scholar semi-finalists from Tucson schools:

* Anne-Laure Blanche, Basis Tucson North

* Alan Boldt, Catalina Foothills High School

* Mark Cai, Catalina Foothills High

* Lillian Clark, University High

* Lee Costich, University High

* Travis Dobbin, Canyon del Oro High School

* Joseph Galasso, homeschool

* Thomas Gansheimer, Ironwood Ridge High School

* Dylan Gardner, University High

* Lahiru Gunasekara, University High

* Ricky Hahn, University High

* Andrew Harris, University High

* Julien Hartmann, University High

* Hayden Hilkemeyer, Salpointe Catholic High School

* Hyewon Hong, Catalina Foothills High

* George Jiang, Catalina Foothills High

* Celyn Jacobs, University High

* Luis Jimenez, University High

* Matthew Kimball, University High

* Owen Lamb, homeschool

* Christopher Lehman, University High

* Peyton Lewis, Salpointe Catholic High

* Benjamin Manninen, The Gregory School

* Samantha Marquez, Salpointe Catholic High

*  Samuel Merson, University High

* Chloe Noll, Basis Oro Valley

* Casey Norris, Sabino High School

* Christopher O’Connor, Salpointe Catholic High

* Ruturaj Patil, Basis Tucson North

* Chloe Patton, Basis Oro Valley

* Emma Petersen, Catalina Foothills High

* Jonathan Paul, University High

* Olivia Pietz, University High

* Anupama Sethuraman, University High School

* Jaclyn Simmons-Rollins, Basis Oro Valley

* Kiah Sleiman, Basis Tucson North

* Luke Sorensen, Marana High School

* Ames Stevens, University High

* Kimberly Vance, University High School

* Leila Wiberg, Basis Oro Valley

* Remington Wichterman, Basis Oro Valley

* Scott Wisnom, Catalina Foothills High

* Micaela Zachmeier, homeschool