Wellborn student a national achiever

A local student is a semifinalist for the 44th annual National Achievement Scholarship Program. Wellborn high schooler Erica N. Bell is among 49 students in the state to receive the honor.

The program began in 1964 to support black students nationwide. Alabama's semifinalists are eligible to advance to the finalist level and compete for $2.5 million in privately financed scholarships, to be awarded in the spring. The program has awarded more than $88 million in scholarships since its inception.

To become a finalist, students must show high academic achievement, a recommendation from their principal and earn an SAT score that matches the performance on the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Forty of this year's 49 semifinalists in the state came from public schools.