More than 16,000 students were selected as semifinalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program, and 5 Fayette County students are among the honorees.

McIntosh had 4 semifinalists: Thomas Hawkins, Connor Johnson, Vedita Sawhney, and Sage Shah.

Whitewater High is represented by Carpenter Ray.

These students have the opportunity to continue in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program competition for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarship awards worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring.

About 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to become finalists, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship.

To become a finalist, a semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier qualifying test performance.

The semifinalist and a school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes the student’s essay and information about the semifinalist’s participation and leadership in school and community activities.