Baton Rouge Magnet High School leads Louisiana with 29 National Merit Semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program, further highlighting the school’s tradition of academic excellence.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation on Sept. 10 announced the names of more than 16,000 semifinalists in the 72nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These academically talented high school seniors now have the opportunity to continue competing for approximately 6,700 National Merit Scholarships, worth about $24 million, to be awarded next spring.
The Baton Rouge Magnet semifinalists are: Corrine R. Baumgartner, Larissa N. Boldor, Bobby S. Chen, Nora Corbin, John M. Cristina, Lane P. Dziuba, Kareem Elseifi, Tristan Emmert, Rishabh R. Gala, James M. Gawronski, Meryem Gunarslan, Margaret W. Kantrow, Daniel S. Kim, Gavin D. Kocen, Jareth S. Kuo, Nicole C. Lebourgeois, Katherine A. Love, Chandra S. Mallipudi, Christopher K. Nguyen, Cadence Perret, Abigail Qi, Leo Schoegl, Ryan Shen, Trisha Shenoy, Aadi Singh, Jacob Smith, Daniel Tate, Elizabeth Xu, and Breanna Y. Zhu.
“We are extraordinarily proud to announce that 29 of our outstanding Baton Rouge Magnet High School students have been named National Merit Semifinalists this year,” said Baton Rouge Magnet Principal Nanette McCann. “This prestigious honor places them among the top high school seniors nationwide, reflecting not only their exceptional academic talent and dedication but also the steadfast support of our educators, families and school community. Their remarkable achievement is a testament to the culture of excellence we strive for every day, and we celebrate this well-deserved milestone alongside them.”
Louisiana has 229 students named semifinalists. Following Baton Rouge Magnet, New Orleans high schools Benjamin Franklin and Jesuit each had 19 semifinalists.
To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, semifinalists must meet several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition.
More than 15,000 of the approximately 16,000 semifinalists are expected to advance to the finalist level. Students who qualify as finalists will be notified in February, and all National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group.
Merit Scholarship winners are selected based on their skills, accomplishments and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin or religious preference.
The 2027 National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced beginning in April and concluding in July.
EBR Schools congratulates the 29 Baton Rouge Magnet students for this outstanding achievement and celebrates their dedication to academic excellence.
