St. Stephen’s is extremely proud of these high-achieving students recognized nationally for their academic excellence.

Congratulations go to Truman Bares ’26, Liam Eggleston ’26, Annie Ehrlich ’26, Felicite Jubelin ’26, Edison Leigh ’26, Jiayin Miao ’26, Avery Robinette ’26, Alex Vokes ’26 and Eli Yorio ’26 who join more than 16,000 other semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program. This group represents less than 1 percent of the nation’s seniors and qualified by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

These academically talented high school seniors now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for around 6,800 National Merit scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring. In order to compete for National Merit scholarships, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition, including submitting a detailed scholarship application, maintaining an outstanding academic record and earning confirming SAT or ACT scores. Finalists will be announced starting in March 2026.

Launched in 1955, the National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college scholarships. The program is conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. 

Learn more about the National Merit Scholarship program.