Columbia's locally owned weekly newspaper since 1963
Monday, September 22, 2025
Dreher High School’s 2026 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists are (l-r) Willa Zug, Wynn Lee, Ashton Cutler, Micah Doberne-Schor, and Siya Bakshi.
Eight Richland One students have been named semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program, which recognizes academically talented high school seniors across the country.
Over 16,000 semifinalists will compete for 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million. The scholarships will be offered in the spring.
Richland One’s National Merit Scholarship semifinalists are: Dreher High School students Siya Bakshi, Ashton Cutler, Micah Doberne-Schor, Wynn Lee, and Willa Zug; and A.C. Flora High School students Eden Hall, Anna Claire McCain, and Zoe Phillips.
High school juniors entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
A.C. Flora High School’s 2026 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists are (l-r) Eden Hall, Anna Claire McCain, and Zoe Phillips.
To qualify as finalists, semifinalists must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes their academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, honors, and awards. They also must have an exemplary high school academic record, be endorsed by a high school official, write an essay and earn an SAT or ACT score that confirms the students’ academic performance.
About 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
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