Students from Maize, Valley Center and Wichita named National Achievement semifinalists

Three Wichita-area students have been named semifinalists in the National Achievement Scholarship Program, an academic competition for talented black high school seniors.

The Sedgwick County semifinalists are Akim Richards, from Maize High School; Audrey Ricks, from Valley Center High; and Hannah Cheatem, from Wichita North.

The 1,600 semifinalists – including eight from Kansas – represent the top 1 percent of students who applied for the scholarship program when they took the 2013 PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

To advance to the next round of the competition, semifinalists must submit a record of high academic achievement, participation in school and community activities, leadership ability, employment and honors or awards. They also will write essays and submit SAT scores and letters of recommendation.

About 80 percent of semifinalists are expected to become finalists in the spring and will compete for about 800 scholarships worth about $2.5 million.

The National Merit Scholarship Corp. also announced Wednesday that National Achievement Scholarships no longer would be given to high school students after 2015.

A new program designed for college graduates, administered by the United Negro College Fund and underwritten by the National Achievement Scholarship Program, will honor and award financial assistance to high-achieving, underrepresented college graduates, according to a news release from the company.

This story was originally published September 24, 2014 at 9:20 AM with the headline "Students from Maize, Valley Center and Wichita named National Achievement semifinalists."