Bethpage Senior Named National Merit Finalist Out Of More Than 1M Applicants

BETHPAGE, NY — A Bethpage High School senior has been named a National Merit Finalist among students across the country.

Aaryan Rupesh was named a semifinalist in September and is now among 15,000 students nationwide who were selected as finalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation out of about 1.3 million applicants.

To earn this title, students must have a strong SAT score, an impressive academic record, a school official's recommendation, and an application that outlines their extracurricular work, volunteer service, a personal essay, and coursework.

He is now eligible for a National Merit Scholarship. Rupesh said he received a perfect match score across the PSAT, SAT, and ACT.

"I feel they serve as a reflection of my hard work during prep," he said, adding that he began preparing for the SAT the summer before junior year. He shared that AP Physics II, AP
Government and AP Statistics are some of his favorite subjects, but he has many hobbies and activities he enjoys outside of school.

He is active in robotics, jazz band, and the math team, as well as the founder of Future Engineers Academy, which is a nonprofit that is aimed at helping make engineering accessible to young learners.

When he was a sophomore, he took a Principles of Engineering I course, which confirmed his decision to pursue engineering as a career. He has had a passion for robotics since middle school, when he had experience with Lego League.

As a tip to his peers and young students, he said not to waste their free time.

"As much as you want to just flop onto your bed and start doomscrolling, take the time to finish your work, and then afterwards you can enjoy yourself stress-free," he said.

He's looking forward to college, including meeting new people and opportunities: "and also to see where college will take me."