Kiersten Gustafson, a Seguin High School senior, is a semifinalist in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program.

The honor is a result of Kiersten’s 2015 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test scores that place her in an elite group, representing less than one percent of all U.S. high school seniors. The semifinalists represent the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

A semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

From the approximately 16,000 semifinalists across the country, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the finalist level in February.

A Seguin ISD student since first grade, Kiersten serves as the editor in chief of Seguin High School’s Cricket Chirps newspaper, the longest running student publication in the state of Texas. As a member of the Matador Band, Kiersten earned a chair in the TMEA All-State Band in January on French horn. This is the highest honor that a high school musician can receive.

Additionally, last fall she had the opportunity to study abroad in Grantham, England with her parents, Dr. Mark and Wendi Gustafson of Seguin.

“Kiersten’s National Merit Semifinalist achievement is truly well deserved. She’s an outstanding, well-rounded student who has demonstrated academic success across the board during her Seguin High School career. We are proud of her for earning this prestigious honor,” said Hector Esquivel, Seguin High School principal.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced 2017 finalists to high schools across the country on Sept. 14.