Osterhaus is one of the final 15,000 participants nationwide competing to receive one of 8,000 National Merit Scholarships, which will be announced starting in April.

Over 1.5 million students entered the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2012 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Students are tested in math, critical reasoning, and writing.  From that field of students, 16,000 were selected as semifinalists, with the pool now narrowed to the finalists.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships established in 1955. To be considered in the rigorous competition for National Merit Scholarships, semifinalists must advance to the finalist level of the competition by meeting additional standards and fulfilling several requirements.  These include having a record of very high academic performance in college preparatory coursework, submitting SAT scores that confirm PSAT performance, and being fully endorsed and recommended by a high school official.

“We are extremely proud of Patrick for advancing as a finalist in the National Merit program,” said Ms. Lisa Jo Aly, St. Mary High School Principal. "Patrick is an outstanding student, who is goal-oriented and focused on high achievement. His dedication to academics will translate well into his post-secondary career plans." 

Osterhaus, who plans to pursue a career in the medical field, is the son of Monica and Mark Osterhaus of Paducah.