The Wan sisters were selected from less than 1% of the nation's high school seniors, awarded for an impressive combination of academic performance, leadership roles and potential for success in rigorous college programs.

Congratulations to Claire and Audrey Wan ’25 who recently won the National Merit Scholarship prize of $2500 in the National Merit Scholarship Program. They were chosen from a pool of more than 15,000 outstanding Finalists. 

The twins entered St. Stephen’s as day students in 6th grade and it’s been said they are both “confident and accomplished students who are fun and always smiling.” 

The sisters are not only strong academically but are accomplished athletes as well. Audrey recently celebrated the conclusion of the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) 4A Championship Track Meet in Houston, finishing fifth in the 3200-meter race.

Claire recently earned her third-straight SPC golf tournament championship and her consistency earned her Athlete of the Week honors twice this season along with praise from her teammates and coach. “She won three straight SPC titles because she plays the game with intelligence,” said St. Stephen’s Varsity Golf Head Coach Garrett Brustein. “She avoids scoring swings that everyone else has.” 

National Merit Scholarship Program

The National Merit $2500 Scholarship winners are the Finalists in each state and are judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors. These Scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the Finalists and their high schools: the academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®); contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the Finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.

Last fall, the highest-scoring participants in each state, representing less than one percent of the nation’s high school seniors, were named Semifinalists on a state-representational basis.

St. Stephen’s had a total of nine Semifinalists. 

More than 16,000 Semifinalists had an opportunity to continue in the competition. From the Semifinalist group, over 15,000 students met the very high academic standards and other requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. By the conclusion of the 2025 program, more than 6,930 Finalists will have earned the “Merit Scholar” title and received a total of nearly $26 million in college scholarships.

Congratulations to Audrey, Claire and each Spartan named a Semifinalist!