Deer Park Senior Named National Merit Semifinalist; 3 Others Honored

DEER PARK, NY — Four Deer Park High School seniors have earned recognition in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program, including one student named a Semifinalist.

Joseph Reina was named a National Merit Semifinalist, while fellow seniors Vincent Cacciola, Kimberly Cho and Nobin Nath were named Commended Students, the Deer Park School District said.

The four students earned the honors based on their performance on the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, or PSAT/NMSQT. They placed among approximately 50,000 of the highest-scoring students who entered the 2027 competition.

Reina is among more than 16,000 Semifinalists nationwide, representing approximately the top 1 percent of high school seniors in each state.

Semifinalists can continue in the competition by completing an application to advance to Finalist standing. Approximately 6,700 students are expected to receive National Merit Scholarships totaling nearly $24 million.

Cacciola, Cho and Nath are among approximately 34,000 Commended Students nationwide recognized for their academic promise. Commended Students do not continue in the scholarship competition, but their scores placed them among the program’s highest-performing entrants nationwide.