12 Lexington One seniors named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists

The National Merit Scholarship Program named 12 Lexington County School District One students semifinalists, keeping them in the running for significant scholarship awards. Semifinalists represent the top 1% of high school seniors across the United States.

Semifinalists from Lexington One include seniors:

• From Lexington High School: Mary Carpenter, Ava Kanitkar, Jesse Oates, William Robles, Lauren Sailer and Jackson Winston

Lexington High’s National Merit Semifinalists pictured left to right: Lauren Sailer, Ava Kanitkar, Jackson Winston, Jesse Oates, William Robles and Mary Carpenter

• From River Bluff High School: John Gardner, Raghav Pallapothu, Chandler Perry, Vaishnavi Sarikonda, Alexander Ziegler and Anna Zou

River Bluff High’s National Merit Semifinalists pictured left to right: Chandler Perry, Alexander Zeigler, Vaishnavi Sarikonda, Anne Zou, John Gardner and Raghav Pallapothu

Each year, thousands of students submit test scores, teacher recommendations, community service hours and personal essays. The program selects students who show exceptional academic ability. These seniors continue in the competition for approximately 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million.

Approximately 90% of the 16,000 nationwide semifinalists will attain finalist standing in February 2025, with half of those winning a National Merit Scholarship.

Scholarships include National Merit Scholarships worth $2,500 each, college-sponsored Merit Scholarships that provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study, and about 1,000 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarships.