AUBURN — Donald Fournier, principal of Saint Dominic Academy, has announced that Carolyn Joseph, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Michael Joseph of Auburn, has been named as a semifinalist in the 2011 National Merit Scholarship Program.

The names of approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 56th annual National Merit Scholarship Program were announced by officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,400 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $36 million, that will be offered next spring.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.

About 1.5 million juniors in some 22,000 high schools entered the 2011 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2009 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, which represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.