To become a finalist, a semifinalist must:

* Have an outstanding academic high school record;

* Be endorsed and recommended by the high school principal;

* Earn SAT scores that confirm the student's earlier performance on a qualifying test.

The semifinalist and a school official must submit a scholarship application including a student-written essay and information about the student's involvement and leadership in school and community activities.

An estimated 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, with approximately half of the finalists winning scholarships and the title of "Merit Scholar."

Walsworth is one of 40 semifinalists in the state of Alaska.

He is on the Mariner football team, performs with the school band and choir, and has been selected for All-State Choir and the All-Northwest Choir. He played the lead in Homer High School's performance of "Godspell" in March 2009. His soccer skills earned him a place on the state's Olympic Development Program for five years and he represented Alaska on the 2008 Arctic Winter Games volleyball team.

Walsworth is considering a career in law and exploring several colleges at which to continue his education.

The 2010 National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced between April and July.

Photo by McKibben Jackinsky Mark Walsworth

Qualifications include the following factors:

* The PSAT/NMSQT must be taken during the junior year, with a minimum cutoff score for the combined critical reading, math and writing skills sections;

* A student must identify himself or herself as Hispanic/Latino on the test, with the information verified by a high school counselor. To qualify, the students must be at least one-quarter Hispanic/Latino -- an ethnic category, not a racial category -- and originally from or descended from inhabitants of one of the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay or Venezuela.

* Students must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Students with a GPA between 3.0 and 3.49 are recognized as "honorable mentions" and students, like Cashman, with GPA's 3.5 or higher are recognized as "scholars."

Fluid in Spanish -- reading and writing -- Cashman, who is Honduran and a first-generation American, spent the summers after her 10th and 11th grades in Mexico as an interpreter for a nonprofit organization building homes for impoverished individuals. She has a love of reading and writing, but also is passionate about music. Cashman performs with the Homer High School Swing Choir, made All Northwest Choir, and also All State as a flautist. In addition to flute, she also plays trumpet and piano. Her plans are to continue her education after graduation at a small private music school and to eventually become a music teacher.