Two Earn National Merit Scholar Finalist Recognition

Two Eastern Mennonite High School students have been named National Merit Scholarship Finalists. Gabriel Albers and Arwen Hertzler are among only 30 EMHS students to win this award since 1974; it is the first time that two students earned the recognition in one year.

Watch a video of King recognizing the two for a chapel presentation.

Albers and Hertzler were named National Merit Semi finalists in September out of about 1.6 million who entered the program nationwide. About 50,000 students qualified for semi finalist recognition nationally, with Albers and Hertzler the only two students recognized with the award in the Shenandoah Valley in 2020.

As semi finalists, Albers and Hertzler applied to be selected as finalists with transcripts, essays, and letters of recommendation. Now, they are among fewer than 8,000 who can qualify for scholarships and awards offered by the not-for-profit National Merit Scholarship Corporation. .

Merit Scholarship awards are funded by some 400 independent sponsors and by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s (NMSC) own funds. Sponsor organizations include corporations and businesses, company foundations, professional associations, and colleges and universities. These scholarships can be put towards undergraduate tuition or summer research programs within universities.

Albers and Hertzler are both members of the EMHS class of 2021. Both have been involved in music, athletics, and academics. Gabriel’s parents are Benjamin Albers and Sarah Butzen; Arwen’s parents are Jodi and Shelby Hertzler.

This article draws on content written by Emma Myers ’21, a marketing/communications intern with the EMS advancement office, fall 2020, from a September release.