Class of 2016 graduate Mackenzie R. Joy, who was named her Class Valedictorian for the highest GPA and STAR Student for the highest SAT score, was selected for a National Merit University of Georgia Scholarship. She plans to study astrophysics and science at UGA to pursue a career as a physicist.

In her junior year at Sequoyah HS, Mackenzie earned a perfect score of 36 on the ACT. Less than one-tenth of 1 percent of students who take the ACT earn this top composite score.

Mackenzie is one of only 3,000 winners nationwide of National Merit Scholarships financed by a college or university. Officials of each sponsor institution select their scholarship winners from among the finalists in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually, for up to four years of undergraduate study, at the institution financing the scholarship.