Montgomery Catholic’s Izer wins National Merit Scholarship

For The Catholic Week
MONTGOMERY — Officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation have named Montgomery Catholic student Sofia Izer as a National Merit Scholarship Winner.

She is one of 2,500 high school students from around the country and one of two students from the River Region who received this scholarship. The 2,500 Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding Finalists in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, students must fulfill several requirements and advance to the finalist level of the competition. The preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test serves as an initial screening of program entrants. In addition to the PSAT test scores, the student’s academic record, community involvement, leadership ability and personal essay are considered when determining semifinalists. About 90 percent of the semifinalists, who were announced in September 2019, attained finalist standing, and approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the title of Merit Scholar.
Sofia was recently named Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School’s Ideal Graduate.
Not only is she a top scholar, but also she is very active in a variety of school activities. Sofia is a member of the Key Club, National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta.
She is a varsity cheerleader and holds a black belt in Taekwondo. She is active in her parish, Holy Spirit in Montgomery, and volunteers her time during Vacation Bible School. Sofia is an aspiring architect who enjoys the merging of her favorite things: art, math and design.
She will attend Syracuse University in the fall.
Senior Clare Wilson was recognized in September 2019 for being a National Merit Commended Scholar.
While she will not have an opportunity to participate in the National Merit Scholarship competition, she ranks in the top 3 percent of all high school students nationwide who took the PSAT/NMSQT.