Two seniors at Cullman High School have earned academic honors that few ever achieve: a place on the annual short list of students who qualify as National Merit Semifinalists as part of the National Merit Scholarship Program.

CHS senior Elianna Hollis, daughter of Paul and Jill Bishop-Hollis of Cullman; and senior Nora Sheffield, daughter of Shane and Tamara Sheffield of Cullman, each have been designated as National Merit Semifinalists for the 2024-2025 school year.

With the recognition, they join the small cadre of 268 Alabama academic high achievers to be recognized this year with the honor, which places each National Merit Semifinalist among the top one percent of all high school seniors in the United States.

More than 1.3 million high school students nationwide entered the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test during their junior year. Hollis’ and Sheffield’s PSAT scores were among the highest in Alabama, qualifying each CHS senior to represent the school as they compete for the National Merit Finalist/Scholar designation and more than $26 million in available scholarship funds.

Each National Merit Finalist is required to maintain an outstanding academic record throughout high school, as well as secure a recommendation from a school official, write an essay, and present SAT or ACT scores that confirm their earlier PSAT/NMSQT performance.

Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be awarded in the spring of next year. Finalists will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2500 Scholarships, awarded on a state-representational basis. In addition, about 770 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarships will be offered by approximately 130 corporations and business organizations. In all, close to 150 colleges and universities will provide around 3,600 scholarships to Finalists who attend their institutions.

The National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced between April and July of 2025.