11 Students Are Semifinalists For Prestigious Scholarship In Baltimore County

Press release from Baltimore County Public Schools:

TOWSON, MD. – Eleven Baltimore County Public Schools students have been named semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program coordinated by the National Merit Scholarship Corp.

The honored students are:

Catonsville High School
Oliver L. Graves Abe

Dulaney High School
Nicole Y. Jia
Victor Lin
Luke Tao

George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology
Dessa L. Haavik
Leah W. Hoddie
Khushi B. Patel

Hereford High School
Ava E. Beck

Perry Hall High School
Sarah D. Davis

Pikesville High School
Joseph R. Stanger

Towson High School
Sam J. Wheeler

“Congratulations to these students for their outstanding academic achievement and to the teachers, families, and administrators who taught and supported them,” said BCPS Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers. “We know that all BCPS students have the potential to achieve at high levels. These National Merit semifinalists represent that potential, and the recognition they have earned inspires all members of Team BCPS to set and reach higher goals.”

More than 1.3 million high school juniors entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by participating in the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NSMQT®). The highest scoring entrants in each state create the national pool of more than 16,000 semifinalists. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

Most semifinalists advance to the finalist level (based on their academic records, recommendations, and SAT or ACT scores) and compete for 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million.

Through its longstanding partnership with the College Board, which administers the PSAT/NSMQT and SAT, BCPS provides funding so that students in Grades 10 and 11 can take the PSAT/NSMQT, and all Grade 11 students can take the SAT. The PSAT/NSMQT test provides practice for the SAT, BCPS educators with important assessments of student strengths and areas for improvement, and Grade 11 students with the opportunity to earn merit scholarships.

This press release was produced by Baltimore County Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.