Gwinnett Daily Post

SUWANEE -- About 30 young people are in the running for a prestigious national honor that annually awards scholarship money to academically promising black students.

Officials with the Nation Merit Scholarship Corp., announced this week that 28 high school seniors were named 2013 National Achievement Scholarship Program semifinalists, making them candidates for about 800 achievement scholarship awards worth more than $2.5 million.

Founded to honor students and provide scholarships, the National Achievement Scholarship Program aims to recognize high-performing high school seniors.

Local students are among 1,600 students from across the nation named semifinalists. Each qualified based on high achievement on the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. More than 160,000 high school juniors requested to be considered for the 2013 National Achievement Scholarship Program when they took the PSAT.

Honorees from Gwinnett County Public Schools:

Archer High: Itoro Atakpa

Berkmar High: Adila Abdulwahid, Anthony L. Downer, Eden Hailemichael and Michelle Ramos

Brookwood High: Ruth Melka, Naana D. Obeng-Marnu, Jamani Smith and Maliq R. Winter

Central Gwinnett High: Naomi R. Mcallister

Dacula High: Trinicia E. Bodden and Rebecca Mertulien

Grayson High: Dkeama V. Alexis, Hollis G. Cuffie, Danielle T. McKeiver and Stanley C. Ndubuizu

Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology: Suanubarilee N. Bakor, Kevin Edwards, Troy Morrow and Ashanti S. Turner

Mill Creek High: Brittni L. Watkins

Mountain View High: Hannah-Dulya K. Menelas, Andre C. Okosi and Tionne N. Pete

North Gwinnett High: Anita D. Ingram

Parkview High: Laura M. Anderson and Sharrod K. Brathwaite

Shiloh High: Hermoon A. Worku

For more information about the National Achievement Scholarship Corp., visit www.nationalmerit.org.