Odessa student is National Merit Scholar semifinalist

Odessa High School’s Anika Gundlapalli was named a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist after scoring in the top 1 percent for high school seniors in the nation on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) last year.

Gundlapalli is one of 16,000 high school seniors in the nation to be named a semifinalist. Over 1.3 million juniors and about 21,000 high schools entered the 2024 Merit Scholarship Program by taking the abovementioned test last fall. She can now go on to compete for some 7,000 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring, according to Ector County ISD.

Ector County ISD set a record in the number of students who earned national recognition through the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Program. A total of 50 students, at least two from each of ECISD’s six high schools, earned recognition. Three students earned National Commended Scholar status, ranking them among the top 2.5 percent of the 1.3 million juniors who took the PSAT/NMSQT last fall. They are Andrea Santiago Soto of Odessa Collegiate Academy, Sapna Yadalla of Permian High School, and Forrest Harlow of the STEM Academy.

“These students receive Letters of Commendation, and although Commended Students will not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships, some may be candidates for Special Scholarships offered by corporate sponsors,” the school district said.