7 Chatham HS Students Named 2025 National Merit Semifinalists

CHATHAM, NJ — Seven students at Chatham High School have been named semifinalists in the prestigious National Merit Scholarship competition.

The semi-finalists were announced on Wednesday, Sept. 11 and include around 16,000 high school seniors who will go on to compete for the scholarships that will be offered next spring.

According to a press release from the National Merit Scholarship Program, about 95 percent of the semi-finalists will be named as finalists for the scholarship. Of those finalists, about half will win a scholarship.

Semifinalists from Chatham include:

• James P. Li
• Ishir V. Rao
• Ezra S. Tian
• Brooks Wang
• Ishita Yadav
• Gabrielle R. Yannotta
• Wesley T. Zartarian

"Congratulations to our students who have been recognized by the NMSP as semifinalists," Principal Doug Walker said. "Less than one percent of the nation's high school graduating seniors qualify as semifinalists. This recognition is a testament to their hard work and commitment to academic success."

Over 1.3 million juniors from approximately 21,000 high schools participated in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors.

The number of semifinalists from each state is proportional to that state's percentage of the national total of graduating seniors, officials said.

To advance to finalist status, a semifinalist, along with a high school official, must submit a comprehensive scholarship application. This application includes details about the semifinalist’s academic record, involvement in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership skills, employment history, and any honors or awards received.

National Merit Scholarship winners of 2025 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July.