Two OHS Students Selected As Finalists To Be National Merit Scholars

From left to right is: Oskaloosa High School Principle Stacy Bandy, Adam Hammes and Natalie Whitis.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Earning their place as National Merit Scholar finalists are seniors Adam Hammes and Natalie Whitis. The two are among eight thousand students to reach this point from approximately sixteen thousand semi-finalists from around the nation. The search for finalists started out with nearly thirty thousand students attempting to make it to the semi-final round.

“It’s pretty awesome,” says Oskaloosa High School Principle Stacy Bandy.

During a small photo op at Oskaloosa High School, Hammes and Whites were awarded certificates this week indicating they had made it as finalists.

“I’m exicted. It’s an honor to be nominated. I feel like my mother is more excited about it than I am,” Whitis says with a smile.

In order to get to this point, Whitis said that they had to write an essay. Along with that, they sent in an application that listed their extra-curricular activities after being chosen as a semi-finalist. In order to be a semi-finalist, they had to take the PSATs.

Adam Hammes had this to say about becoming a finalist. “It’s nice. Not only the recognition of the award but also the fact that the monetary will be helpful.” Hammes added that it is nice that Oskaloosa has two recipients this year, something that isn’t so very common.

In 2005, Oskaloosa had two recipients that year as well. They were Mathew Wymore and Stephen Fosdick.

Hammes hopes to attend Iowa State University and major in computer science. His ultimate goal is to work with Google and build driverless cars.