Columbia Students Named 2021 National Merit Scholar Semifinalists

COLUMBIA, MD — Several students from Columbia area high schools has been named semifinalists in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The 16,000 semifinalists will have the opportunity to advance in the competition to earn upwards of 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million that will be offered next spring.

The following Atholton High School students have been named semifinalists:

• Nikki E. Farnham
• Peter E. Frazier
• Lucas R. Howarth
• Richard M. Hu
• Stone J. Li
• Alexander M. Nguyen
• Jaikrishna V. Raghavan

The following Hammond High School student has been named a semifinalist:

• Devon J. Gorel

The following Long Reach High School student has been named a semifinalist:

• Max O. Goldberg

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

Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2021. Every finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis. Approximately 1,000 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 220 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 or offices are located. In addition, about 180 colleges and universities are expected to finance an estimated 4,100 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.

National Merit Scholarship winners of 2021 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 353,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.