Bailey
Tallulah Falls School senior Walker Bailey of Lula has been named a National Merit finalist bringing him one step closer to consideration for 7,250 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million.
Bailey was named a semifinalist in the 68th National Merit Scholarship Program and has now moved to finalist status.
“Walker is truly a gifted young man who strives for excellence in all that he does,” said President and Head of School Larry Peevy. “I could not be prouder of Walker’s accomplishment.”
All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from the finalists. To become a finalist, the semifinalist and a high school official had to submit a detailed scholarship application in which they provided information about their academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership ability, employment and honors and awards.
A semifinalist 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.
Bailey’s super score on the ACT confirmed that performance. “He is one of those extremely rare students who are proficient in everything he chooses to pursue,” said upper school counselor Michelle Barron.
“TFS has given me access to staff members who care about things I care about. They want to see me succeed,” Bailey said. “It’s exciting to see my effort pay off – to see it all come together.” This is an excellent opportunity for Bailey, as national and state recognition will help him stand out to colleges and universities.
As a junior, Bailey entered the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
National Merit Scholarship winners of 2023 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July.