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Pair of HH Seniors Earn Merit Semifinalist Status
A pair of high-achieving Harker Heights High School seniors took radically different paths to reach an elite peak among the best students in the nation.
John Beliveau and Kiera Sandifer are National Merit Scholar Semifinalists, a status achieved by less than 1 percent of the nation’s high school seniors.
Beliveau attended Nolanville Elementary School, and Smith and Nolan middle schools on his way to Harker Heights High School.
Sandifer arrived in Texas with her military family in July, most recently from Mississippi.
She began her schooling at Skipcha Elementary School, continued in Georgia, then California, Fort Irwin and then San Diego.
She excelled in technical theater and archery at her school in Mississippi and won numerous academic awards.
He is part of National Honor Society, Interact Club, Life Scouts and splits his school time at Central Texas College as a STEM student there.
Both are thrilled to add the title National Merit Scholar Semifinalist to their impressive resumes.
Sandifer was just adjusting to the Harker Heights schedule from a block schedule she was accustomed to at her former school when a friend informed her that she had qualified as a semifinalist.
She honestly didn’t think she made the cut because she took the SAT test later than anticipated.
“I was concerned I did a step wrong,” she said, “so it was really a surprise when I found out.”
“It feels awesome. I’m proud the hard work I put into this has paid off, that I’m able to do this. It will be awesome if I make finalist,” she said.
Sandifer acknowledged she is not an athlete or a musician and that academics is her way to stand apart.
“God has blessed me with the ability to do really well on a standardized test. That is my superpower,” she said with a laugh. “I’m a hard worker and try to do my best no matter how a subject is being taught.”
Similarly, Beliveau said he felt validation in receiving word of his achievement.
“It was really awarding because it’s a lot of hard work, a lot of studying. It’s nice to know, it takes a lot of stress out of college to (win an honor that could lead to scholarships).”
She is considering Texas Tech and Mississippi State and hopes to go to veterinary school. He is looking at Rice and Texas A&M to lead to a career in law or aviation.
About 1.3 million students across the nation enter the National Merit Scholarship Program each year by taking the PSAT their junior year of high school.
More than 16,000 students reach the Semifinalist stage and about 95 percent of them attain the Finalist level. About half of those are expected to win a National Merit Scholarship through a process that includes recommendations, an essay and test scores.
The Semifinalists represent less than one percent of US high school seniors, including the highest scorers in each state.
“We’re incredibly proud of our National Merit Semifinalists,” said KISD Director for Advanced Academics Jennifer Roden.
“Their achievement is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and perseverance. These students have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to their education, consistently striving for excellence in and out of the classroom.”