Fritz and Zaremski Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

Students entered the 2025 program by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The qualifying scores in Maryland are among the highest in the country.

 

This year approximately 16,000 Semifinalists were named and will have the opportunity to advance to the next level and be named a Finalist. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from the group of finalists. Finalists will be notified in February 2025.

 

In addition to the Semifinalist awards earned by Fritz and Zaremski, the following Severn School students have been named as Commended Students in the National Merit Scholarship Program:

Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of all students who took the 2023 PSAT.

 

Olivia Jishi ’26 and Sam Salinas ’25 also received the National Hispanic Recognition Award and Jamelia Pennant ’25 and Jacob Randall ’25 received the National African American Recognition Award.

 

NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 320 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.