Brian Byerly
Cleveland High School senior Brian Byerly has been named a National Merit Semifinalist.
Approximately 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2016 Preliminary SAT test last fall. Semifinalists are the highest scoring students in each state representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors. With a 4.0 GPA, Brian is an AP Scholar with Distinction, serves as Student Liaison to the Board of Education, runs on the Cross Country and Track teams, and participates in Model UN.
He is the son of Doug and Andrea Byerly of Cleveland.
Cleveland High School Principal Autumn O’Bryan, said, "Brian is an exceptional, well-rounded student-athlete with a bright future. He has taken our most challenging course load, including nine AP classes and is an AP Scholar with Distinction. Above all, he is a young man with outstanding integrity and innovation. We look forward to great things from Brian!"
The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. Brian will continue in the competition for 7,500 National Merit Scholarships that will be offered next spring. "I am excited that Brian qualified as a National Merit Semifinalist because it gives him more scholarship opportunities at some universities. National Merit Finalists will also compete for scholarships offered this spring," said Becky Guthrie, senior school counselor. To become a finalist, Brian must submit a scholarship application, detailing information about academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, honors and awards received. 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 scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.