Laura Nowotny
Elijah Szabo
FORT ATKINSON — Fort Atkinson High School students Laura Nowotny and Elijah Szabo have been named semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Nowotny is the daughter of David and Jennifer Nowotny of Fort Atkinson and Szabo is the son of Brian and Angie Szabo of Fort Atkinson.
Laura Nowotny
Of the 50,000 students across the nation who have the potential to be recognized, only 16,000 students are named as National Merit semifinalists yearly.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college scholarships that began in 1955. United States high school students may enter the program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which serves as an initial screen of more than 1.3 million entrants each year, and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements. Students are recognized for their academic and extracurricular achievements.
To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, they must submit SAT scores, have an outstanding academic record and be endorsed and recommended by a high school official. They also have to submit an application that includes high school courses and grades, extracurricular and volunteer activities and a self-descriptive essay.
About 15,000 of the 16,000 semifinalists advance to finalist standing. Scholarship winners are announced in spring.
Elijah Szabo
Fort Atkinson High School Principal Leigh Ann Scheurell congratulated Nowotny and Szabo in a news release for what she called an “amazing accomplishment.”
“We are beyond proud of the time, work, and commitment that both Laura and Elijah have put into their learning while at Fort Atkinson High School, along with being involved in other extracurricular offerings,” Scheurell said. “Both model the strong skills of dedication, focus, time management and strong perseverance that have brought them to where they are today.”
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