Glastonbury Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

GLASTONBURY, CT — National Merit Scholarship Corporation officials Thursday announced the names of more than 16,000 semifinalists in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, and students from Glastonbury High School were among them.

The Class of 2025 high school seniors now have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 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.

NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was
established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 280 business
organizations, higher education institutions and individual donors that share NMSC's goals of
"honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence."

Semifinalists from GHS are:

• Rishi Boggavarapu
• Spencer Danese
• Kate Qian
• Luke Smith
• Ilakkiya Tamilarasu