Garden City High School is proud to announce that nine of its students have been named semifinalists in the prestigious 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program. The academically talented students are: Soham Bera, Mannat Jain, Jeffrey Li, Hunter Maguire, Simone Oustatcher, Daniel Shohdy, Amy Xiao, Lynn Yang and Alicia Zhang.
This achievement places them among an elite group of students nationwide, with semifinalists representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors. They were chosen based on their exceptional performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Out of 1.5 million entrants, these students now have the opportunity to compete for approximately 7,140 National Merit Scholarships, worth nearly $28 million, to be awarded in spring 2025.
"We are immensely proud of these outstanding students who represent the academic excellence of Garden City High School,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kusum Sinha said. “Their hard work and dedication have earned them this distinguished honor, and we look forward to celebrating their continued success. This achievement is also a reflection of the dedication of our teachers, administrators, and staff who work tirelessly to support and guide our students every step of the way."
The National Merit Scholarship Program recognizes students who demonstrate exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The semifinalists will now advance in the competition, with hopes of securing scholarships and further academic recognition.