High school seniors from Wiesbaden, Germany, and Ankara, Turkey, are among five Department of Defense Education Activity students named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.

The students are: Christine E. Ashton, Wiesbaden High School; Christopher B. Wilson, George C. Marshall School, Ankara; Lauren E. Wolfe, Kadena High School, Okinawa; Bruce W. Pfirrmann, Nile C. Kinnick High School, Yokosuka, Japan; and Michael E. Newman, Osan American High School, South Korea.

They now have the opportunity to continue competing for some 8,200 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $35 million to be presented this spring, according to a DODEA press release. The release said they were among approximately 16,000 semifinalists selected for the program, now in its 54th year.

Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance, including taking qualifying tests, writing an essay and submitting an application detailing leadership in school and community activities.