Two Saint John’s Prep Seniors Named National Merit Finalists

Saint John’s Prep Seniors Evan Danielson ‘24 and Patrick Duffy ’24 are finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. They are now among the 15,000 high school seniors from throughout the nation competing for approximately 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million.

Last fall, Patrick and Evan received recognition as semifinalists from the National Merit Scholarship Program by being  among the top scorers of the PSAT/NMSQT® in the United States and Minnesota.

To become National Merit Finalists, Patrick and Evan submitted detailed applications that included information about their academic records,  school and community activities, leadership abilities and honors and awards. More than half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. They will find out if they are National Merit Scholars later this spring.

Evan is the son of Michele and Nathan Danielson of Sartell. He is the brother of Caiden ’29 and Elise ‘31. Evan is captain of the boys’ soccer team, a member of the National Honor Society and a Writing Center peer tutor. Evan is also a member of the track and basketball teams. Outside of school, Evan is a member and altar server for St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. Evan is looking forward to exploring an engineering or a computer science major in college. 

Patrick is the son of Megan and Brendon Duffy of Cold Spring. He is the brother of Clare ’22 and Margaret ’27. Patrick is student council president andPatrick is the son of Megan and Brendon Duffy of Cold Spring. He is the brother of Clare ’22 and Margaret ’27. Patrick is student council president and a member of National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, and the state Envirothon team. He is a percussionist with the Saint John’s Prep band, orchestra, and pianist who has received state honors. Outside of school Patrick is a volunteer at St. Cloud Hospital and a peer ministry leader at St. Boniface Catholic Church. Patrick plans to study economics, environmental science, and mathematics in college.

The National Merit^® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®)–a test which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.5 million entrants each year–and by meeting published program entry/participation requirements.