POLAND — Owen Puhl’s hard work has paid big rewards.

The Poland Seminary High School senior has made it as a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program and will be making trips to state and national speech team competitions.

Regarding the National Merit Scholarship, high school counselor Liz Calderon said to enter the program and be considered for the scholarships, a student in their junior year must take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) and National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT). That opportunity is offered to the nation’s sophomores and juniors every October.

According to the National Merit Scholarship Corp., more than 1.3 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools across the country entered the 2024 scholarship program by taking the test in 2022.

That PSAT / NMSQT served as the initial screening that narrowed the field to 16,000 finalists. Those finalists will be in the running for one of the 2,500 scholarships valued at $2,500. Scholarships are also provided by approximately 160 corporations and 160 colleges and universities.

“Poland has had several students recognized in the past through the National Merit Scholarship Program,” Calderon said. “Owen is one out of two students who were recognized as semifinalists over the past five years. He is the only student who has been moved on to the finalist round in that time.”

National Merit Scholarship winners of 2024 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join nearly 375,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title, according to the news release.

Owen, 18, said he had a jump start on the National Merit Scholarship Program.

“I definitely had a bit of a head start since I took my first PSAT as an eighth-grader,” he said. “I was always very driven about my college goals. Meeting the selection criteria on my PSAT was definitely a big hurdle.

“As I prepared for the test in my junior year, I realized that I could only miss around five questions to be eligible for the scholarship. I spent a lot of time studying and taking practice tests to prepare. After finding out that I was named a semifinalist, I had to fill out an online application with an activities list and a 500- to 600-word essay.”

The son of Courtney and Ron Puhl, Owen said he was accepted to Georgetown University but has not yet committed to any school. He is planning a course of study around a economics, philosophy and political science with a goal of getting into a law or a public policy field.

Besides the wait on National Merit Scholarship results in a few months, Owen will be planning for some other big competitions. He competes with the high school’s Speech and Debate Team in the category of informative speaking.

“I research a prevalent topic in society for a 10-minute memorized speech,” he said. “We also have the opportunity to make the speech more interactive with visual aids like posters and signs.”

Currently ranked second in Ohio and seventh nationally in speech, he heads to state competition this month and to nationals in June.

Adding to his busy schedule is the office of president of the high school’s Interact Club. The club attends events such as the Chili Open and the Poland Junior Women’s League Lighting of the Village.

“Our officers have established weekly opportunities to work as peer tutors for middle schoolers, and we volunteer at the Poland Way,” he said.

“I want to always make time to give back to my community, and I would love to join an organization like the Rotary once I start my career.”

Owen attributes his high school success repetition, taking breaks to refresh the mind and practicing to be perfect.

“Owen is a student who I would not only describe as having much academic promise, but as one who has a contagious character and personality,” Calderon said.

“I would describe his character as the following: determined, passionate, reliable and respectful. Owen is an individual who academically ranks at the top of his graduating class. He has completed coursework throughout his high school career that required rigor in order to prepare for his post-secondary education.

“He goes above and beyond to ensure that he is learning at his best potential. Owen is a well-rounded individual who I have no doubt will continue to be a lifelong learner.”