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Ryan Cao, Loyalsock Township High School senior, has been named a "Commended Student" in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program, according to a press release. Cao will be presented a Letter of Commendation from the school and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
According to the release, approximately 34,000 students get recognized as Commended Students throughout the nation. While Cao will not move forward in the 2024 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students are in the top 50,000 who entered the 2024 competition by taking the PSAT or National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
Cao has taken honors, AP and college-level courses, where he earned all A's. He has also participated in CS50 Python, where he created solutions to coding problems and planned, improved and adapted code continuously until an efficient product was created. He also participated in the Bucknell Engineering Camp, is an SAT tutor, a member of the boys soccer team and is the president of the technology club. Outside of school, Cao is a lifeguard at the Loyalsock Community Pool and volunteers his time as a AYSO Youth Soccer referee and at The Salvation Army.
"Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success," a spokesperson for NMSC said in the news release. "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."