59 Loudoun County Seniors Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists For 2026

ASHBURN, VA — Fifty-nine students at Loudoun County schools were named semifinalists in the next round of National Merit Scholarships in 2026.

The National Merit Scholarship program recognizes academically successful high school students, with winners representing less than 1 percent of the country's high school seniors. In the 71st annual program, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation has named more than 16,000 finalists.

Over 1.3 million students in 20,000 U.S. high schools were entered into the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 PSAT as juniors. The semifinalists were the highest-scoring students in each state and represent less than 1 percent of high school seniors. The number chosen from each state is proportional to its share of graduating seniors in the U.S.

About 95 percent of semifinalists are expected to be named finalists, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. To be considered for finalist status, semifinalists and a high school official must complete a scholarship application with details on the academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. The semifinalists must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn an SAT or ACT score reinforcing their qualifying PSAT score.

Scholarship winners will be chosen from the approximately 15,000 finalists. There will be 2,500 National Merit $2500 Scholarships awarded by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation on a state-representational basis. About 150 corporations and business organizations will provide 830 corporate-sponsored scholarships to students whose parents work at sponsoring businesses or who live in the communities where offices are located. About 150 colleges and universities will provide 3,600 college-sponsored awards to students attending their institutions.

In all, 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million will be awarded in 2026. Scholarship announcements will be made from April to July 2026.

"Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference," the National Merit Scholarship Corporation says.

Semifinalists are grouped by the town or city in which they attend school. The students at Loudoun County schools named as semifinalists are:

Aldie

• Arush Bodla, John Champe High School, Aldie
• Aarav D. Chhapgar, John Champe High School, Aldie
• Arav P. Paladiya, John Champe High School, Aldie
• Tanush Bhardwaj, Lightridge High School, Aldie
• Aarush Kumar, Lightridge High School, Aldie
• Anishreddy Mummadi, Lightridge High School, Aldie
• Rohit Rajakumar, Lightridge High School, Aldie
• Ishaan Senthil Kumar, Lightridge High School, Aldie

Ashburn

• Erica S. Baek, Briar Woods High School, Ashburn
• Sofia C. Burbano, Briar Woods High School, Ashburn
• Benjamin Cai, Briar Woods High School, Ashburn
• Daksh Challa, Briar Woods High School, Ashburn
• Nishka Illapani, Briar Woods High School, Ashburn
• Sanica Rao, Briar Woods High School, Ashburn
• Jake J. Summers, Briar Woods High School, Ashburn
• Arnav Surapaneni, Briar Woods High School, Ashburn
• Macey J. Reid, Broad Run High School, Ashburn
• Yash Sreepathi, Broad Run High School, Ashburn
• Amy H. Woo, Broad Run High School, Ashburn
• Smaran Bonthula, Independence High School, Ashburn
• Satvik S. Dronavalli, Independence High School, Ashburn
• Joshua C. Hollie, Independence High School, Ashburn
• Shaurya R. Jeevagan, Independence High School, Ashburn
• Matthew Li, Independence High School, Ashburn
• Tanvi Nare, Independence High School, Ashburn
• Chloe H. Park, Independence High School, Ashburn
• Rohith G. Ranga, Independence High School, Ashburn
• Siddha S. Bambardekar, Rock Ridge High School, Ashburn
• Riya K. Cherukuri, Rock Ridge High School, Ashburn
• Iha Gorjala, Rock Ridge High School, Ashburn
• Arjun Gupta, Rock Ridge High School, Ashburn
• Arnav Gupta, Rock Ridge High School, Ashburn
• Darsh V. Shetty, Rock Ridge High School, Ashburn
• Ajay K. Vinjamuri, Rock Ridge High School, Ashburn
• Ummaima Amir, Stone Bridge High School, Ashburn
• Skye J. Ocampo, Stone Bridge High School, Ashburn
• Liam L. Phlegar, Stone Bridge High School, Ashburn
• Noah H. Son, Stone Bridge High School, Ashburn

Chantilly

• Emma Ladowicz, St. Paul VI Catholic High School, Chantilly

Leesburg

• Shourya Prakash, Heritage High School, Leesburg
• Thai Nguyen, homeschool/online school, Leesburg
• Ishan R. Alla, Riverside High School, Leesburg
• Danae K. Boikos, Riverside High School, Leesburg
• Madeleine H. Garvin, Riverside High School, Leesburg
• Andrew M. Iwamoto, Riverside High School, Leesburg
• Alps A. Xia, Riverside High School, Leesburg

Potomac Falls

• Steve M. Romano, Potomac Falls High School, Potomac Falls

Purcellville

• Elijah W. Banta, Woodgrove High School, Purcellville
• Kate R. Verry, Woodgrove High School, Purcellville

South Riding

• Lily M. Jacoby, Freedom High School, South Riding
• Aneesh K. Kandimalla, Freedom High School, South Riding
• Derek Q. Nguyen, Freedom High School, South Riding
• Rhea Nirmal, Freedom High School, South Riding
• Rohith Rayudu, Freedom High School, South Riding
• Yashita Singh, Freedom High School, South Riding
• Brian C. Tay, Freedom High School, South Riding

Sterling

• Ryan B. Bui, Dominion High School, Sterling
• Quinn T. Daignault, Dominion High School, Sterling
• Claire S. Howard, Dominion High School, Sterling