Mount Pleasant High School senior, Luke Thurman, has been named a National Merit Commended Student. Students entered the National Merit Scholarship Program, a nationwide competition for recognition and awards conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), by taking the 2023 PSAT offered in October of 2023. In April, NMSC identified the 50,000 highest scorers: 16,000 were designated as Semifinalists on a state representational basis and the other 34,000 high performers are now being named Commended Students based on a national Selection Index score. Over one million juniors enter the National Merit competition each year.

“Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” commented a spokesperson for NMSC. “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”

Thurman is strongly considering attending Texas A&M University and he is planning to major in engineering or finance. He is the son of Tris and Stephanie Thurman.

Photo: Luke Thurman (center) with MPHS senior counselor, Todd Burns (left), and MPHS Principal, Jason Adams