Mentor High Student Named National Merit Semifinalist

Mentor High School senior Avinash Danda -- Avi, to those who know him -- is in elite company.

He scored in the top one percent of the more than 1.5 million high school students across the country who took the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test.

Consequently, Danda was named a National Merit Semifinalist.

Along with acing standardized tests, Avi participates in Science Olympiad and student government, plays lacrosse and is a member of National Honor Society, according to the Mentor Schools web site.

Avi said he would like to become a doctor, leaning toward cardiology.

He’s thinking about attending Yale or Northwestern universities after high school but has not decided for sure.

In February, semifinalists are told if they are finalists.

Merit Scholarship awards are awarded based on a student's academic record, his or her activities and leadership record, an essay they write, information about the school's curriculum and grading system, test scores and the principal's  recommendation.