Sixty-nine Arkansas students were named National Merit Scholarship winners on Tuesday, joining more than 6,930 high school seniors nationwide who will receive the scholarships for college undergraduate study in 2025.
The students named on Tuesday will receive college-sponsored scholarships between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years at the financing institution.
Fellow National Merit Scholars were announced as recipients of corporate-sponsored awards in April and as winners of $2,500 scholarships on May 7. Additional recipients of college-sponsored awards will be announced on July 14, with the nearly 7,000 total academic scholars receiving roughly $26 million once all names are released.
The college-sponsored scholarship winners were selected by officials from a total of 246 higher education institutions across 42 states and the District of Columbia.
The winners were part of a pool of more than 16,000 semifinalists with the highest scores on the 2023 preliminary SAT and the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. From there, semifinalists were asked to submit a detailed scholarship application that included an essay, an account of their extracurricular activities, awards and leadership positions.
Over 15,000 students met the requirements to become finalists this year.
The number of winners in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s high school senior graduates. The scholarships are funded by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a nonprofit founded in 1955 to conduct the scholarship program, and company sponsors.
The Arkansas students, their high schools, sponsoring institutions and probable career fields are listed alphabetically by hometown:
Benton
Madeline Liachenko of Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, University of Tulsa, computer science.
Bentonville
Seth Antuna of Bentonville West High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, biology.
Pearlyn D. Britto of Bentonville High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, medicine.
Juan Manuel Campos-Velez of Haas Hall Academy-Rogers, University of Tulsa, physics.
Carter Wayne Greenfield of Bentonville West High School, University of Tulsa, English/language arts education.
Ethan Franz N. Lising of Haas Hall Academy-Rogers, University of Tulsa, computer science.
Audrey Longwell of Haas Hall Academy-Bentonville, University of Oklahoma, botany.
Samantha T. Rengstorf of Bentonville High School, Oklahoma State University, aviation.
Luke A. Rice of Bentonville High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, computer science.
Shubharashi K. Thapa of Bentonville High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, computer science.
Zachary S. VanSweringen of Bentonville High School, Brigham Young University, music performance.
Cabot
Zane A. Caldwell of Cabot High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, mathematics.
Liliana J. Clark of Cabot High School, Texas A&M University, neuroscience.
Patrick L. Esau of Cabot High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, music.
Cave Springs
John B. Harrison of Rogers High School, Purdue University, aerospace engineering.
Conway
Gavin Law of Conway High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, medicine.
Octavio Sridhar Menon of Conway High School, University of Texas at Dallas, biomedical engineering.
Annalise Montgomery of Conway High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, music.
Reese Hayden Taylor of Conway High School, Hendrix College, medicine.
Farmington
Miles Batson of Farmington High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, entrepreneurship.
Fayetteville
Ellis B. Bell of Fayetteville High School, University of Tulsa, mechanical engineering.
Madison Bussell of Fayetteville High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, law (intellectual property).
Eva Cummings of Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, University of Tulsa, applied mathematics.
Lincoln Andrew Probst of Fayetteville High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, statistics.
Isaiah Pulliam of Fayetteville High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, physics.
Kevin Sun of Fayetteville High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, computer science.
Jackson Zeuthen of Fayetteville High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, mechanical engineering.
Fort Smith
Rajaa Kaddoura of Southside High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, medicine.
Mackenzie Erin Settlage, Southside High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, civil engineering.
Jiya N. Shah, Southside High School, University of Texas at Dallas, biomedical engineering.
Tegan Stimac of Greenwood High School, University of Tulsa, mechanical engineering.
Little Rock
Geethika Atluri of Little Rock Central High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, pediatrics.
Taylor G. Bledsoe of Baptist Preparatory School, University of Tulsa, computer science.
Lasya Buddha of Little Rock Central High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, medical research.
Tyler Burks of Pulaski Academy, Texas A&M University, engineering.
Benjamin Saul Casciano of Little Rock Central High School, University of Alabama, computer science.
Allison M. Hamaker of Little Rock Christian Academy, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, bioinformatics.
Seth Harrison of Pulaski Academy, University of Texas at Dallas, computer science.
Walter Bolt Hill of Little Rock Central High School, University of Alabama, computer science.
Kartik Joshi of Little Rock Central High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, health care.
Amogh Kamishetty of Little Rock Central High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, finance.
James Joseph Miller of Catholic High School for Boys, Southern Methodist University, mechanical engineering.
Madeline C. Ramsey of LISA West High School, Hendrix College, computer science.
Raymond Walker Ritchey of Episcopal Collegiate School, Washington and Lee University, real estate development.
John Henry Roberson of Little Rock Central High School, University of Tulsa, chemical engineering.
Jeffrey Robinson of Little Rock Central High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, history.
Dhruvika Naga Thota of Little Rock Central High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, medicine.
Aidan L. Zhao of Little Rock Central High School, University of Texas at Dallas, medicine.
Maumelle
Zachary Ellis of Catholic High School for Boys, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, physics.
Mountain View
Evan Fowlkes of Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, University of Tulsa, environmental policy.
Mount Vernon
Harmon R. Sawrie of CrossPointe Preparatory School, Harding University, music education.
North Little Rock
Noah Minkner of Central Arkansas Christian School, Harding University, mechanical engineering.
Rogers
Ava I. Clark of Pea Ridge High School, Hendrix College, business management.
Alexander D. Ford-Wutzke of Rogers High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, mechanical engineering.
Kaitlyn Scarlett Kuehn of Haas Hall Academy-Rogers, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, diplomatic service.
Deven V. Nguyen of Rogers High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, computer science.
Jackson W. Seabolt of Rogers High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, psychology.
Danielle Ashley Zielske of Haas Hall Academy-Bentonville, Missouri University of Science and Technology, engineering.
Russellville
Sarah Shoptaw of Russellville High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, sociology.
Searcy
James M. Brooks of Harding Academy, Harding University, education.
Braden J. Hobby of Searcy High School, Oklahoma Christian University, business.
Aura S. Hofheinz, Searcy High School, University of Southern California, screenwriting/directing.
Springdale
Talia Gashler of Har-Ber High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, digital art.
Zachary Evan Hansen of Haas Hall Academy-Springdale, Oklahoma State University, international business.
Toshiro Donovan Hunt, homeschooled/online school, University of Tulsa, aerospace engineering.
Leah Marvin of Har-Ber High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, biological engineering.
Reese E. Smith of Haas Hall Academy-Bentonville, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, sports/entertainment law.
Tontitown
Silas R. Wilson of Har-Ber High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, physics.
Ward
Ryan M. Krown II of Cabot High School, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, physics.
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Lena Miano covers K-12 education for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. She joined the newsroom shortly after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May 2024.
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