Penn Hills High School senior Gabe Torres has a lot in common with the 15,999 other National Merit Scholarship semifinalists across the nation.

He is being recognized for his academic accomplishments and receiving letters of interest from top universities.

But Gabe also stands out in that select group.

Twelve years ago, he started kindergarten in Penn Hills with deficits in speech and language. He later was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder/pervasive developmental delay, or ADD/PDD.

By the end of first grade, he also was identified as a gifted and talented student.

That was an unusual beginning for a 17-year-old who has maintained a 4.0 grade point average throughout his school career and is the recipient of numerous honors. They include the College Board Advanced Placement Scholar Award for calculus, chemistry and history; the U.S. Achievement Academy National Math Award; and a place in "Who's Who Among American High School Students."

National Merit semifinalists are chosen based on their performance on the PSAT/NMSQT exam, taken during their junior year. Gabe scored in the 99th percentile on the test -- the highest ranking of any student in the Penn Hills School District in the past 15 years. He is one of about 100 seniors in Allegheny County who were named semifinalists this fall.

Semifinalists are invited to submit applications and supporting materials to compete for about $35 million in scholarships.

Gabe's parents, Wilfredo "Willie" and Ivelisse "Ivie" Torres, are proud of their son and note that the support provided by the school district's special education department has contributed significantly to Gabe's development.

The Torreses, New York City natives, moved to Penn Hills in 1996 when the Navy assigned Mr. Torres to its Reserve center in North Versailles.

From the beginning, the school district was attuned to Gabe's needs, said Mrs. Torres, adding that the couple's second child, Michael, 15, also receives special education services for autism. The Torres' have a third child, Chloe, 2 1/2.

Mrs. Torres recalled Gabe's difficulties in those early years as well as his notable intelligence.

"He could put together a 63-piece puzzle at age 3 and read a book before he was able to have a conversation," she said.

Once he entered school, he struggled, she said.

"He was smart but not able to mix well with his peers. He had poor eye contact and not much expressive language. He looked very challenged as a young child."

In addition, she said, he fluctuated from "hyper-focus" -- spending hours on an activity -- to being distracted and having difficulty following through on directions.

School district personnel provided the right type of support to address these issues, she said, including a social skills group at Forbes Elementary called "Fabulous Friends."

The district also worked closely with the family and Gabe's home-based therapists to determine which interventions worked best for him.

In time, Gabe's talents -- especially his drawing skills -- bridged the gap with his classmates, his mother said.

"He was constantly drawing, and the kids flocked around him. They also knew that he was the one who knew the answers."

Gabe remembers none of these early difficulties.

"I was happy," he said.

"He was the happiest kid on Earth," Mrs. Torres agreed. "He drew, he read, he studied piano. To this day, I have never met a human being who is as comfortable in his own skin as my son."

Asked about his diagnosis, Gabe showed how comfortable he is. "I certainly have no shame about it," he said, adding that he has given a report on ADD in school.

"Penn Hills has been an open, warm place where I feel that both of my sons are celebrated," Mrs. Torres said. "Numerous people in the school district have invested themselves in my children, and not just because it was their job."

High school guidance counselor Karen Rasmussen praised Mrs. Torres' son.

"Gabe is the type of student that every high school benefits from having -- bright, creative, considerate of others. He is not only academically outstanding but has outstanding character."

Although Gabe's four grandparents were born in Puerto Rico and Spanish is a second language in the Torres household, Mrs. Torres said she refrained from using that language when Gabe was young. She feared it would further delay his speech development.

Gabe later took up the language on his own and is now enrolled in advanced placement Spanish. He has been recognized by the College Board National Hispanic Recognition Program for excellence in academic achievement.

Gabe also has excelled in the Navy Junior ROTC program. His participation, he said, was partially inspired by his father, who retired as a Navy lieutenant in 2005 after 24 years of service. The other attraction, he said, was the program's "environment of self-improvement."

Earlier this year, he won the Navy Junior ROTC Academic Excellence Medal for achieving the highest score in the nation on its academic exam.

Gabe plans to study his lifelong passion -- animation -- in college. His comic strip -- Dipo -- is featured this year in the Penn Hills High School student newspaper, Penn Points.

Unbeguiled by invitations to consider Ivy League schools, Gabe has narrowed his college search to two local schools with highly regarded programs in computer and hands-on traditional animation -- the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and Edinboro University.

He intends to use animation to help shape a better world.

"I see the impact that media have on society and I see animation is an opportunity to communicate," he said. "My dream is to someday create quality media that are responsible, family-friendly, wholesome and uplifting."

"He is truly his own person," Mrs. Torres said.