Five Jefferson and Kennedy High School seniors have been named semifinalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Jefferson’s Ben Wadzinski and Owen Woods, and Kennedy’s Mercury Bertram, Arthur Colvin, and Emily Kwon are among the top high school seniors in the nation competing for merit scholarships. Finalists will be announced in February 2025.

Last year, more than 1.3 million high school juniors entered the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents the highest-scoring students in each state.

Jefferson senior Hazel Collins earned National Merit Commended Student status, which recognizes students for outstanding academic promise.