Roncalli senior Mya Galbreath was named a National Merit Scholarship Finalist. She plans to attend University of Alabama to study nursing.
By HANNAH GUNNELL
Roncalli High School senior Mya Galbreath had no idea what the National Merit Scholarship program meant when she found out she was a semi-finalist in October.
Now as a finalist, Galbreath knows all the opportunities it presents.
“I found out in October, my counselor called me and was like you’re a national merit scholar semifinalist, and I was like, ‘I don’t know what that means!’” she said with a laugh.
To enter the National Merit Scholarship program, all a high school student has to do is take a Preliminary SAT (PSAT) or National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test at any qualifying high school, according to the program website. Of the 1.3 million eligible students who will take the exam, only 50,000 will receive program recognition. Students are notified through their schools of semi-finalist status.
To become a finalist, semi-finalists must complete an application, have a high academic record, write an essay, be endorsed by a school official, and taking the SAT or ACT and earning a score that confirms PSAT/NMSQT performance.
“I went to grade school at St. Mark, and some family friends connected me with [a counselor] who helps juniors and seniors find colleges too. He was like, ‘You can get a lot of money if you become a finalist,’” Galbreath said. “I was like, ‘Okay, maybe I should take this more seriously than I am.’”
With his guidance, Galbreath filled out the application, which includes a personal essay. She chose to write a variation of her college application essays, which was the first time she experienced racism.
“I was six years old, it was my sixth birthday and a girl told me I didn’t belong at Monkey Joe’s because I was black,” she said. “I didn’t want to write about that at first because it’s so cliche and boring and nobody is going to want to read about that, but it got me into most of my college choices so I guess it was a good enough prompt.
“I sent it to an English teacher who used to work at Roncalli, and when she gave me her feedback, she was like, ‘It made me cry,’” she said. “I didn’t think it was that impactful. It’s so hard to open up in that way because it’s not really embarrassing but it’s also like, ‘I’d rather not share that with everyone I meet.’ I guess I’m glad I wrote it, because it’s symbolic of me stepping out of my comfort zone a little more, going to college and meeting new people.”
Several colleges and universities give out additional scholarships for National Merit Scholarship Finalists. Galbreath chose University of Alabama, which is offering her a five-year full ride scholarship.
“It’s been a little stressful but very rewarding in the end,” Galbreath said.
She plans to study nursing, which requires two years of general education classes and then acceptance into the nursing program. The goal is to become a labor and delivery nurse.
“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I got to high school,” she said. “Roncalli wasn’t super overbearing about making us pick a career, but I felt a little pressure to decide to hone in on what I want to do, and I was going to job fairs. Sophomore year I went to one and one of the people who was speaking was a labor and delivery nurse. The way she was talking about her job, all the opportunities she had working in the hospital and also outside it with young mothers — I was like, ‘I can see myself doing that.’”
Until then, Galbreath is cruising through the rest of her senior year. Galbreath participates in Roncalli’s show choir (which takes up most of her time) and works at Chick Fil A.
