Hartselle High School 2015 graduate and class valedictorian Robin G. Tumlinson was recently announced by the National Merit Scholarship Program as a college-sponsored scholarship recipient.

Tumlinson was one of approximately 3,900 seniors to receive college-sponsored National Merit awards, which can range from $500 to $2,000. Recipients for these awards were selected by the individual institutions from the pool of National Merit Scholars who had chosen to attend the school.

The 2015 National Merit Scholars were named through a rigorous two-year process. The students took the Preliminary SAT in the fall of 2013. From this test, 16,000 semifinalists were named, with state numbers proportional to the number of graduating seniors in the state compared to the national total.

The semifinalists then submitted an essay, a resume of leadership and community activities and letters of recommendation from school faculty. The students were also required to take the SAT to confirm their performance.