HCHS’s Klitgaard named National Merit Finalist

    HARLAN -- Harlan Community High School announced this week that senior Jack Klitgaard, son of Dr. Don and Laurel Klitgaard, has been named a finalist in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program.
    Klitgaard is among the more than 1.5 million students in 21,000 schools throughout the nation entered in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).  
    The test serves as an initial screening of all program entrants and those students with the highest test scores in each state are named National Merit semifinalists.
    Less than one percent of high school seniors in the United States qualify for this distinction and even fewer go on to be named finalists.
    To become a finalist, the semifinalist and his or her high school must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received.  
    The student must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school and be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.  
    From approximately 16,000 semifinalists from across the nation, Klitgaard is one of about 15,000 that have advanced to the finalist level.  
    All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of finalists.  
    Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.  
    Three types of scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2021.  There will be 2,500 National Merit Scholarships, 1,000 Corporate Merit Scholarship awards, and approximately 4,100 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.  
    These winners will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July.
    Klitgaard is still undecided about which college he will attend this fall, but he plans to study both biology, on a pre-med track, and jazz studies.  
    He plans to attend medical school and become a surgeon, while continuing to pursue his creative outlet in jazz piano.