Brittany Sholar credits her family for her academic success
Morgan Hill – Live Oak High School senior Brittany Sholar is one of a few outstanding high school seniors in the country to become a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is sponsored by the nonprofit National Merit Scholarship Corporation, an organization that conducts two academic competitions every year.
The 17-year-old Sholar is competing with some 8,200 scholastically talented high school seniors around the country for the awards, worth $33 million, which will offered next spring.
Family plays a major role in Sholar’s life.
“I believe you are nowhere without your guidance, whether it’s your close family or other relatives,” she said. “That’s the foundation of my drive. Some of the strongest things my family has given me are the idea that you don’t compare yourself to others, to always do your best and to realize your own sense of worth.”
Sholar became a finalist for the National Achievement Scholarship based on her performance on the Preliminary Student Aptitude Test (PSAT) last October.
Live Oak High School Principal Nick Boden said he and others who know her are not surprised that Sholar is a finalist.
“We are very proud of her at Live Oak,” he said. “Her recognition is a reflection not only of her hard work, but also of her parents and family and teachers throughout the years of her schooling. We can see it pays off, the dedication that she’s given to her studies. She’s a very enthusiastic person, very energetic.”
Sholar’s parents, Pervis and Sheila, said they make every effort to stay engaged in the life of their daughter and other child, Brianna, 13, an eighth grader at Martin Murphy Middle School.
“In our family, the biggest thing is trust,” he said. “We try to stay engaged with our children, which allows open communication at all times. We know how important a good work ethic is, and we know how hard it can be for kids. We created a certain atmosphere in our lives, in our family, that shows the girls that we value hard work, we value education.”
The sisters have always been in the Morgan Hill Unified School District. He said the family has confidence in the district, and he and his wife believe that if the family is behind a student, any student can excel.
“I think the teachers are excellent, the administration, and I think the district is an excellent place for our kids,” he said. “It really starts at home. It really does. From the very beginning, you have to start with valuing education, making that a priority. There are always going to be people, in any district in any private school, that don’t measure up. When your kids run across these influences, it is more important than ever that they feel supported by their family.”
Brittany, who plans to attend the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and study biology, said her family gave her a “really strong foundation.”
“I would like to thank my family for always supporting me, not just for educational purposes, but for life lessons,” she said. “They’re always there for me, to tell a joke, to keep life fun.”
And Sholar sees biology as something fun.
“I just love biology,” she said. “I’ve had great teachers who really nurtured me as a person and my interest in the subject. The first person to spark my interest was Mr. (Steve) Peterson in third grade at El Toro. And then Mrs. (Cherie) Gavin made science so much fun in fifth grade. I loved going to their classes. They loved what they did.”
Sholar said she is glad if she can be a role model for her sister, whom she’s proud of.
“You know, I want to support her, like I have been supported, but she’s a very intelligent girl, and is a hard worker,” she said. “I don’t really think she needs me as a role model, she does very well on her own.”
And to the big question that’s hanging over the heads of the seniors of the class of 2006, Brittany answers yes. She has passed the high school exit exam. Brittany said she passed both portions of the test – which students are required to pass before they can graduate – the first time she took them in her sophomore year.
Six other Live Oak High School students were “commended” for their scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test: Kenneth Benner, Anh Bui, Natalie James, Shalyn Tharayil, Sarah Trauben and Corwin Wray.
“These are students of which we are extremely proud,” said Boden. “To have seven students recognized is an accomplishment. It says a great deal about academics at Live Oak, about our students and our teachers.
“I’d also like to congratulate the parents and the work that they’ve done. We know the support of our parents is so important to the success of our students,” he said.
In 1996, Stephen Sheperd of Live Oak High School was recognized by the board as a national achievement scholar; eight other Live Oak students have been “commended” since that time. One of this year’s recognized students, Sarah Trauben, was at the March 14 school board meeting and told trustees that a good performance on the PSAT isn’t particularly significant.
“As much as I appreciate the recognition, … it just shows that I take tests very well,” she said.
“It’s great to see so many of our students doing well today,” Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Education member Shelle Thomas said. “Whether you want to accept it or not, young people who are leaders, who do so well, set role models for all of us.”
To be considered for the Merit Scholarship award, finalists must fulfill several requirements and advance to the finalist level of the competition.
More than 1.3 million juniors in nearly 21,000 U.S. high schools entered the 2006 National Merit Program by taking the 2004 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants.
To become a finalist, a semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout the high school years, be endorsed and recommended by the school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier qualifying test performance. The semifinalist and a school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes the student’s self-descriptive essay and information about the semifinalist’s participation and leadership in school and community activities.
Approximately 15,000 semifinalists advance to the finalist level. From this group all Merit Scholarship winners are chosen.
Three types of Merit Scholarship awards will be offered in 2006. Every finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 scholarships that will be awarded on a state representational basis.
In addition, some 300 corporations and business organizations will underwrite about 1,100 corporate-sponsored scholarships for finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located.
Also, about 200 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,600 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.
Merit Scholarship winners will be announced in April and concluding in July. The scholarship recipients will join some 234,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.
