Gulliver Preparatory School is proud to announce that Joao Carvalho ‘21 and Jordan Schmidt ‘21 have been selected as National Merit Scholarship winners. With this prestigious honor, both students will receive a National Merit $2,500 Scholarship.
A Silver Knight Award nominee in the digital and interactive media category, Joao is a member of Gulliver’s FIRST Robotics Team, Photography Club, National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta (Math) Honor Society, Rho Kappa (Social Studies) Honor Society, Science Honor Society, and Zeta Omicron (Computer Science) Honor Society. He is an AP student, and is heavily involved in STEM and community outreach activities, including Breakthrough Miami, Together We Innovate, Recycle/Refurbish, and teaching computer science and engineering to students at the Title IX Migrant Education Center and CARE center in Overtown. In November, Joao was featured in the Pinecrest Tribune as part of the publication’s “Positive People in Pinecrest” series.
Gulliver’s Silver Knight Award nominee in the general scholarship category, Jordan is also a member of the FIRST Robotics Team, National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta (Math) Honor Society, Rho Kappa (Social Studies) Honor Society, Science Honor Society, and Zeta Omicron (Computer Science) Honor Society, as well as National English Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, and Cum Laude Society. He is active in the community and has initiated several service projects, including printing and donating face shields during the pandemic, and Save Woofie, which aims to save dogs from dying from blue-green algae. In January, Jordan was featured in the Pinecrest Tribune as part of the publication’s “Positive People in Pinecrest” series.
The 2020-21 National Merit Scholarship Program began in October 2019 when over 1.5 million juniors in approximately 21,000 high schools took the PSAT/NMSQT. Judging criteria included a combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors who appraised the individual’s academic record. Specific criteria included difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.
On June 2 and July 12, some 4,000 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners will be announced. By the conclusion of this year’s competition, about 7,500 academic champions will have won National Merit Scholarships worth approximately $30 million.
