Berkeley County School District and Hanahan High would like to recognize senior Jessie Chubb for being named a National Merit Scholar finalist.

Two weeks ago, Chubb was sitting in her fourth block class when Principal Thomas Gallus entered and announced the big news in front of her classmates.

“I was very surprised,” Chubb said. “It doesn’t feel real.”

Chubb was previously named a semifinalist for the scholarship last fall. Semifinalists from across the nation were selected after a review of 2021 Preliminary SAT – or PSAT – scores. There are several semifinalists per state, with the number of those selected being proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

Chubb is one of approximately 15,000 finalists for the scholarship, selected from a review of submitted applications, academic records and recommendations from school officials.

Of those finalists, about 8,000 receive scholarship awards. National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies. Chubb should hear if she is a recipient of the National Merit Scholarship by the end of the school year.

Chubb is also the third Hanahan High student in recent years to be named a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship; the school had two students who were named finalists in 2021.

After she graduates this year, Chubb plans to attend the University of South Carolina and study computer science with a minor in theatrical design. She is active in her school’s theatre program; for the last two years, she has worked the auditorium’s sound and lights for theatre performances and other big events. She is a member of the International Thespian Society at the school.

Chubb described being a graduating senior as surreal.

“You never expect to ‘get’ there, so to be graduating in 80 days…it doesn’t feel real,” she said.

Chubb is the daughter of Nellie Chubb and Rudy Chubb.

Hanahan High

HHS senior Jessie Chubb named a National Merit Scholar Finalist