5 Westfield HS Students Named 2024 National Merit Semifinalists

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield High School is congratulating five seniors who have been named semifinalists for the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Jacob Blaustein, Yenjay Hu, Kathryn Kengeri, Tage Mehta, and Nathan Reynders will have an opportunity to compete next spring for National Merit Scholarships to help them pay their college tuition.

Principal Mary Asfendis said this "great honor" is a testament to the students' character and dedication.

The five Westfield seniors are among a nationwide pool of 16,000 National Merit Semifinalists, representing less than 1 percent of high schoolers, according to a news release from the school district.

“Being named a National Merit Semifinalist is a great honor and it speaks volumes about the semifinalists’ strength of character and commitment to their education,” Asfendis said in a statement.

Another 21 WHS students were recognized "for their exceptional academic promise" as commended students, the district added. Some of these students may be candidates for special scholarships, according to the program.

Students become eligible for the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking a standardized test, the PSAT/NMSQT.

The National Merit Scholarship Program will offer more than $28 million in awards and special scholarships to students next spring, the program said. Corporate-sponsored and college-sponsored scholarships are also available to finalists, and sometimes high performers in the program who are not finalists.

The following students were Commended Students in the 2024 program, according to the district:

• Samuel Altman
• Colin Cimei
• Samuel Clark
• Allison Constantinou
• Margaret Crooks
• Christopher Gonzalez
• Collin Greco
• Lucas Gunzberg
• Owen Hilliard
• Gregory Hurford
• Charles Jeckell
• Jonathan Jiao
• Dillon Ma
• Edward Mendel
• Benedict Nematadzira
• Mason Roszak
• Ellie Sacks
• Christian Sanford
• Philip Spirn
• Maxwell Victorino
• Chen Yang