Congratulations to senior Giuseppina Than who has qualified
as a semifinalist in the 65th annual National Merit Scholarship Program!
Known by classmates as Pina, she is among 16,000 high school students
nationwide who were awarded the distinction by achieving the highest
scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying
Test.
“Being recognized as a National Merit semifinalist is a
significant achievement,” Pina said. “The designation is an honor that
will help with my college applications and scholarship opportunities.”
Her pride extends to recognizing her sister, Luigia, who graduated from
Port Jeff two years ago and advanced to the finalist standing in the
2018 annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
“I’m thrilled to be a National Merit semifinalist the same
way I was thrilled to be named a Simons Research Fellow this past
summer,” she said of when she worked in a pharmacology lab at Stony
Brook University with two mentors on their ongoing research into
mechanisms of gene regulation. “It was difficult, but I got to do cool
processes, even one including radioactive material. It was a glimpse
into a possible future, and National Merit is a step in opening that
door.”
An exceptional student, Pina has taken every math course
offered in the district and enjoys being on the Mathletes team, where
she has been a member since middle school. Her diligent work in class
and her participation in a variety of clubs include her involvement in
the district’s Latin Club since seventh grade – a language and culture
she is fascinated by and loves to study. Last year she was honored with
an Oxford Classical Dictionary by the National Latin Exam committee in
recognition of a four-year, consecutive Gold Medal streak, a prestigious
accomplishment.
Her outstanding academic talents give her the opportunity to
continue in the competition, in which she must fulfill several
requirements to advance to the finalist level and a chance to earn the
Merit Scholar title.