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Lonnie Huhman
Hard work and dedication in the classroom have paid off for three Dexter High School seniors. They now have the chance to keep moving forward in the competition for nearly 7,000 National Merit Scholarships, worth a total of about $26 million, to be awarded next spring.
Claire Beneteau, Arman Buyukbozkirli and Marissa Schnurstein have been named National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalists.
Dexter Community Schools (DCS) announced this proudly on Sept. 10.
DCS said, “These talented high school seniors now have the chance to keep moving forward in the competition for nearly 7,000 National Merit Scholarships, worth a total of about $26 million, to be awarded next spring. To become a Finalist, Semifinalists need to complete a few additional steps. Typically, about 95% make it to Finalist status, and roughly half of those students go on to earn a National Merit Scholarship and the title of Merit Scholar.”
According to DCS, more than 1.3 million juniors entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 PSAT/NMSQT.
“From that group, fewer than 1 percent of U.S. seniors earned Semifinalist status by scoring among the highest in their state,” DCS said.
To become finalists, DCS said semifinalists submit an application detailing their academics, activities, leadership, and awards, along with an essay and confirmed test scores. About 15,000 of the 16,000 Semifinalists are expected to advance, according to DCS, and all scholarship winners will be chosen from this group.
Next spring, DCS said three types of scholarships will be awarded: 2,500 $2,500 National Merit Scholarships, about 830 corporate-sponsored scholarships, and around 3,600 college-sponsored scholarships. Winners will be announced between April and July, joining nearly 390,000 students who have earned the Merit Scholar title since the program began.
The National Merit Scholar Corporation (NMSC) is a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. It was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
DCS said scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by about 300 business organizations, higher education institutions, and individual donors that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.
Dexter Community Schools, Dexter High School, National Merit Scholarships
Lonnie Huhman
STN Staff
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Lonnie Huhman
STN Staff
Steven Sheldon