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Five high school seniors from Marion County have been named semifinalists for National Merit Scholarships, which recognize academically talented students.
On Tuesday, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced its list of 16,000 semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship Program.
In Ocala, Leah K. McGinley and Ethan Rubin were earned semifinalist nods for Forest High School, Noah Archer earned one for Vanguard High School, and Gabriella Capobianco earned one on behalf of West Port High School.
The only student outside of Ocala to claim a semifinalist spot was Patrick Lucaric, who attends Belleview High School.
Now, the five local high school seniors will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition.
According to the NMSC, about 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship and earn the title of Merit Scholar.
Around 1.3 million juniors in 20,000 high schools across the United States entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT (PSAT). That test served as an initial screening for program entrants.
According to the NMSC, the nationwide pool of semifinalists includes the highest-scoring entrants in each states, representing than 1 percent of high school seniors.
The NMSC is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1955 to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds by about 300 business organizations, higher education institutions, and individual donors.
Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2026. Every finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit® $2,500 scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis.
About 830 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 150 corporations and business organizations for finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located.
In addition, about 150 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 3,600 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.
National Merit Scholarship winners of 2026 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join approximately 389,000 other individuals who have earned Merit Scholar titles.
Last year, multiple students from the Ocala area were awarded National Merit Scholarships.
Leave your words of encouragement with a comment or a letter to the editor for these outstanding Ocala area students who are making their community proud.