Tennessee Online Public School student Grayson Lattanzi is among an elite group of high school seniors in the nation, both as the winner of a 2022 $2,500 National Merit Scholarship and by achieving a perfect score of 36 on the ACT! (Less than .4% of test takers score a 36.)
The Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding Finalists in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program. National Merit $2500 Scholarship winners are the Finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
Grayson lives in LaVergne, TN, and plans to attend UT Knoxville where he will pursue a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology.
"I have been a TOPS student for two years," Grayson said. "The flexible schedule, advanced curricular opportunities, and encouraging teachers at TOPS have greatly helped me on my academic journey. After completing my bachelor's degree, medical school is my next step."
The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors. By the conclusion of this year’s competition, Grayson will be among only about 7,500 academic champions in the nation once all scholars have been named.
This year’s National Merit Scholarship Program began in October 2020 when high school juniors took the PSAT/NMSQT, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. Last fall, the highest-scoring participants in each state, representing less than one percent of the nation’s high school seniors, were named Semi-finalists on a state-representational basis. More than 16,000 Semi-finalists had an opportunity to continue in the competition. From the Semi-finalist group, more than 15,000 students met the very high academic standards and other requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. By the conclusion of the 2022 program, approximately 7,500 Finalists will have earned the “Merit Scholar” title and received a total of nearly $28 million in college scholarships.
Congratulations, Grayson, and best of luck in your future endeavors!