FROM STAFF REPORTS

Briarwood Christian School is proud to announce two National Merit Scholarship Program semi-finalists for the National Merit 2020 Scholarship Competition.
Less than 1 percent of the nation’s high school graduating seniors qualify based on their PSAT scores as a part of the National Merit Program. These semi-finalists are then eligible to participate in the National Merit Scholarship Awards Program.

This year’s semi-finalists are Matthew Earnest of Hoover and Tyler Jahraus of Chelsea.

Earnest, a senior, has been active in SGA throughout his time at BCS, currently serving as executive president. He has served on various domestic and international missions trips and is on the servant team for Briarwood Presbyterian Church’s youth group. He has plans to attend the University of Alabama where he hopes to study computer science with the goal of work in mobile applications development.
Jahraus, also a senior, has been an active member of the Briarwood physics club, most recently serving as president. He also is currently serving as captain of the BCS physics team which has placed in the top three in several competitions. Because of his plans to pursue cardiac surgery or medical research in cardiology, Jahraus has worked part-time in a local oncology clinic. He is hoping to attend either Messiah College in Pennsylvania or Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Earnest and Jahraus follow a strong tradition of Briarwood students in the National Merit Scholarship Program. In 2018, Jay Kynerd received a distinction as a National Merit semi-finalist and eventually won a coveted National Merit Finalist Scholarship Award while also serving as the Class of 2019 salutatorian and president of the National Honor Society amongst other awards. He is currently attending Southern Methodist University as a Presidential Scholar and a Cox BBA Scholar while pursuing degrees in finance and computer science.

Briarwood Christian School is a ministry of Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, and over the last five years, it has produced nine National Merit finalists; 14 National Merit semifinalists; and five National Merit Commended Scholars.