September 10, 2025
2025 Best of Osceola
Seven Osceola County scholars have been named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.
National Merit Scholarship Corporation officials Wednesday announced the names of more than 16,000 Semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Finalists and scholarship winners — about half the field — will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.
That list of nationwide semifinalists includes seven from Osceola County:
Diego Munoz and Benjamin Solomon, Celebration High School;
David Evans, Leonardo Fermin and Erika Kim, NeoCity Academy;
Wenqing Xie, Osceola County School for the Arts;
Kevin Thomas, Tohopekaliga High School
The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants from those taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test in each state.
To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.
Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered. Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2500 Scholarships. About 830 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 150 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet their specified criteria. Another 150 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 3,600 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for those attending those institutions.
The 2026 National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July, the organization said.
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