Officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced Wednesday the names of over 16,000 semifinalists in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, including 58 students from Scottsdale and Paradise Valley schools. 

These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,250 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring, a press release explained.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition.

Scottsdale and Paradise Valley schools with semifinalists include:

BASIS Scottsdale

• Shria Ajay 
• Farhan H. Babur
• Emily E. Chang
• Tristan H. Clarke
• Daryl Day 
• Candice D. Estrada
• Asuka Firdaus, 
• Tanish Gudise
• Rachana R. Gurudu
• Rushil Jain
• Aadarsh S. Jasthi
• Derrick Kang
• Allison T. Li
• Sophie Li
• Vincent J. Lowe
• Arun J. Moorthy
• Vamsi Nalla
• Vivian L. Pfleger
• Margaret E. Polukhtin
• Ritvik S. Rallapalli
• Saketh Y. Reddy
• Nandita Shankar
• Mona Shayegan
• Katherine Y. Shi
• Noah J. Sosinsky
• Sahil Sud
• Ramya Viswanathan
• Calista Y. Wilk
• Harrison E. Williams
• Sunny Y. Zhu

Chaparral High School

• Ana-Isabella Dragomir
• Kyle A. Orth

Cicero Preparatory Academy

• Pierce A. Liestenfeltz
• Luke E. Murray

Desert Mountain High School

• Ananya S. Basarkar 
• Evelyn A. Chin
• Erica J. Li
• Brett C. Markland
• Yuki R. Matsui
• Morgan B. Taylor
• Andrew M. Vekich

Horizon High School

• Riley E. Franco

Notre Dame Preparatory High School 

• Eleanor P. Dee
• Alejandro Z. Heredia
• Lars A. Nordhagen

Rancho Solano Preparatory School 

• Simone R. Rothaupt

Scottsdale Preparatory Academy 

• Grace S. Horner
• Raywon Kim
• Travis M. Santa

Phoenix Country Day School

• Elizabeth A. Bartolino
• Arianne E. De Trenck
• Eliana S. Jaffee
• Lowell W. Justice
• Benjamin C. Lewis
• Esben B. Sorensen
• Tyler M. Tam
• Natalie J. Vu
• Annabelle J. Winssinger

About 95% of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. Finalists will be notified in February about their status. 

Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 340 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., according to the release.

Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2023. Every finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis. 

About 950 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 180 corporations and business organizations for finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants for offices are located. 

In addition, about 160 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 3,800 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor institution. 

National Merit Scholarship winners of 2023 will be announced beginning in April and concluding in July.