Beaufort County Early College High School student Savannah O’Brien has been named a Commended Student in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program.

O’Brien received a letter of commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for her exceptionally high PSAT score, meaning that she scored among the top 3% of PSAT takers in 2018.

The Beaufort County Early College High School student plans attend UNC-Chapel Hill for a pre-med program with an intention of going to medical school. O’Brien would like to work in pediatrics or neonatology. She is the vice president of the National Honor Society at BCECHS.

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic abilities. Although they will not continue in the 2020 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students place among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students who entered the competition by taking the 2018 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

“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.”