Cape senior Kyle Cook named National Merit Scholarship semifinalist

Cape Henlopen High School senior Kyle Cook is among the 16,000, or the top 1 percent, of the country’s high school students and was named a semifinalist for the National Merit Scholarship Program. The program, in its 56th year, will provide about 8,400 scholarships worth more than $36 million next spring.

Cook, who transferred from Elkhorn South High School in Omaha, Neb., knows what being named a National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalist means. Being named a National Merit Scholarship recipient would open up opportunities at a number of universities and for other forms of financial aid.

That’s a good thing, since Cook is a candidate for the University of Nebraska’s Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management Scholarship, which covers tuition and possibly room and board as well. Because of his knack for recognizing what steps need to be taken to solve challenging problems, Cook is thinking about studying computer science or mechanical engineering. Cook isn’t sure what other universities he will look at, but he is certain he would like to return to the Midwest and attend the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Cook was entered as a National Merit Scholarship Program hopeful after his Preliminary SAT scores were among the highest for high school juniors last year. Cook will find out in February whether he has been named a finalist for a National Merit Scholarship.