LAS VEGAS – 76 Clark County School District (CCSD) high school students have been selected as 2025 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The students represent the top one percent of U.S. high school seniors and qualify to continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be awarded in the spring.
“Congratulations to our students who have worked hard to achieve this exceptional accomplishment,” said CCSD Interim Superintendent Dr. Brenda Larsen-Mitchell. “Our students work hard each day in the classroom focused on their education, and it is tremendously exciting to see them recognized at the national level. We are proud of our students and wish them the best.”
The students were the highest-scoring in Nevada, and a nationwide pool of over 1.3 million juniors from approximately 21,000 high schools. To qualify, students took the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screening of program entrants.
To become a Finalist, each Semifinalist, along with their high school, must submit a detailed application providing information about the candidate’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, leadership abilities, employment and honors. A Semifinalist must also have an outstanding academic record, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2025. About 95 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. Winners will be announced publicly at four separate times beginning in April and concluding in July 2025.
CCSD is proud to congratulate the following National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists:
Advanced Technologies Academy
- Bunnell, Ethan G.
- Casillas, Carlo A.
- Khan, Chad F.
- Lee, Nathan
- Lee, Noah F.
- McGovern, Jayne E.
- O’Connor Jaila J.
- Taylor, Nathan K.
- Toldy, Oliver P.
- Yang, Bosco
Arbor View High School
- Relosa, Jaxon P.
Basic Academy of International Studies
- Stewart, Joel L.
Bonanza High School
- Bongolan, Kristine Mae D.
Cimarron-Memorial High School
- Javier, Dario V.
Ed W. Clark High School
- Chen, Bryan
- Choji, Kazuma
- Cruz, Natalie
- Downey, Savannah
- Gentry, Joseph B.
- Hoffman, Kyle
- Hua, Olivia
- Jones, Roxy
- Jung, Timothy
- Kamojjala, Rishi
- Kim, Aileen
- Kim, Jayna
- Lac, Alexander
- Liu, Chiu
- Lum, Robert
- Sun, Ivan
- Wrote, Jackson
- Wu, Karen
- Young, Christopher
College of Southern Nevada High School – West
- Liu, Ronghua
Coronado High School
- Bondarenko, Alexander V.
- Dang, Micheal A.
- Gardner, Jacob K.
- Gochnour, William M.
- Lee, Andre
- Lee, Nayim
- Lee, Vera L.
- Li, Jia Y.
- Nash, Camden L.
- Park, Michelle Y.
- St. Pierre, Addison M.
- Tie, Ginger
- Vakov, Alexander A.
Desert Oasis High School
- Chau, Jackie
East Career and Technical Academy
- Cox, Christopher
Foothill High School
- Chirica, Alexander R.
- Dayton, Jonathan J.
Las Vegas Academy of the Arts
- Anderson, Itzaak
- Jattan, Christian
- Kilker, Kai
- Muelrath, Sophia
- Song, Xinran
Liberty High School
- Russell, Dakota K.
Mojave High School
- Ait-Auzzeen, Adriel J.
Nevada Learning Academy at CCSD
- Evangelista, Josh
Northwest Career and Technical Academy
- Garcia, Jaime
- Pope, Rachel
Palo Verde High School
- Jost, McKenna
- Manzo, Samantha
- Saberinia, Kayhan
Rancho High School
- Tran, Jordan P.
Spring Valley High School
- Tan, Karen L.
Veterans Tribute Career and Technical Academy
- Lange, Caleb
West Career and Technical Academy
- Chaca, Angelo
- Diedrich, Bella
- Hidalgo, Ethan
- LaRochelle, Rosa
- Li, Joan
- Park, Joshua
- Pryor, Ashlyn
- Talim, Asha
- Tsang, Landon
