Paducah Tilghman High School senior Paige Lauren Kight has achieved the distinction of National Merit Semifinalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Kight is one of approximately 16,000 semifinalists from 1.5 million juniors who entered the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). The nationwide pool of approximately 16,000 semifinalists, which represents less than one percent of US high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.
From the approximately 16,000 semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the finalist level. From these finalists, half will receive scholarships offered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. In addition, semifinalists and finalists are eligible for numerous full and partial scholarships from various public and private universities. She is one of three in the western Kentucky region to receive this honor.
Kight is a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Young Scholar, and has been involved in extensive summer research and field studies programs at the University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, Northwestern University, Brown University, University of Connecticut, and MIT. She is a member of the Varsity Academic Team and has won numerous state and regional awards in individual and team competition. She is principal clarinetist in the PTHS Concert Band, a state qualifying member of the Speech team, member of the National Honor Society, Interact Club, Sustainability Club, PT Pageturners Club, Dungeons & Dragons Club, and the Beta Club. She also participates in the Paducah Symphony Orchestra Youth Chorus. She serves as a summer camp reading counselor and recently sewed and distributed over 400 cloth face masks to schools, ministries, and individuals across the state. She is an AP Scholar with Distinction and received a perfect score of 36 on all sections of the ACT.
“Paige has a zest for learning and has been quite successful in all of her scholastic endeavors. With her impeccable academic record, it’s not surprising that she has earned the honor of National Merit Semifinalist,” said Principal Allison Stieg. “Paducah Tilghman is very proud of her achievement, and we look forward to watching her continued successes.”
She is the daughter of Robert and Kelly Kight of Paducah.