More than 16,000 students have been named semifinalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corp and more than 180 of them are Kentuckians. 19 are right here in Bowling Green.
They are:
Bowling Green High School
- Diego Padin
- Sarah Pannell
- Elli Trivizadakis
Gatton Academy
- Leah Chen, Bowling Green High School
- Roy Lightfoot, Bowling Green High School
- Samuel Dunlap, Franklin-Simpson High School
- Jonas Lamb, LaRue County High School
- Soham Patel, LaRue County High School
- Evan Self, LaRue County High School
- Samuel Gordon, Daviess County High School
- Raghuram Danturthi, John Hardin High School
- Katherine Tellez, Trigg County High School
- River McDurmon, Madisonville North Hopkins High School
- Michelle Morttey, Atherton High School
- Charles Moody, Christian Academy of Louisville
- Nishita Chaduvula, Eastern High School
- Divine Ezinma, Calloway County High School
- Malleshwar Jayaraman Suresh, Western Hills High School
- Hudson Feinauer, St. Henry District High School
Students enter the competition by taking the Preliminary SAT or the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test during their junior year of high school. To advance to finalist status, these semifinalists submit detailed applications highlighting their academic record, school and community activities, leadership efforts, an essay and their SAT or ACT scores to confirm their PSAT/NMSQT performance.
From a press release today:
These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for about 6,700 National Merit Scholarships worth approximately $24 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.
—SNIP—
Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2027. Every
Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit® $2500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis. About 700 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 120 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located. In addition, about 140 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 3,500 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.
Semifinalists in the rest of the state
- Louisville: 72
- Lexington: 49
- Crestwood, Goshen, Union: 5
- Alexandria, Danville, La Grange, Paducah, Park Hills: 3
- Bardstown, Benton, Cecilia, Corbin, Covington, Fort Mitchell: 2
- Fort Thomas, Frankfort, Georgetown, Harrodsburg, Henderson, Independence, Lebanon, Mount Washington, Murray, Nicholasville, Owensboro, Paintsville, Pikeville, Richmond, Russellville, Shelbyville, Versailles, Villa Hills, Williamsburg: 1
If you couldn’t tell, Bowling Green is punching above its weight and we should all be congratulating these students. Hint, hint, local officials.
So congratulations all around!
Want to see how Kentucky stands in relation to the rest of the country? Click here to read Art Sawyer’s breakdown at Compass Education Group.