Jacob Lombardi has become part of an exclusive group of high school seniors, as he has been named a National Merit Finalist.

Lombardi first was chosen as a semifinalist based on scoring in the top one-half of one percent of students taking the PSAT in the state. From there he submitted essays and resumes to become one of 15,000 students in the nation selected as a National Merit finalist.

From here he has the opportunity to be one of the 2,500 finalists chosen to receive a $2,500 scholarship.

“In the past five years, we have usually had one to two students who were National Merit Finalists. … Being a finalist is considered a prestigious accomplishment,” counselor Sima Misquitta said in an email.

Jacob will be recognized for this accomplishment at the Senior Awards program in May.

“I am very excited and surprised about becoming a finalist, considering I was (initially) nervous that my PSAT scores would be low. I was honored to even be a semifinalist, so I’m even more excited and honored to qualify as a finalist,” Lombardi said.

Lombardi plans to major in either pre-pharmacy or quantitative biology in college. He is considering attending the University of North Carolina, though he also has been accepted by Michigan, Pitt, and Minnesota.