Salesianum News · Salesianum School Salesianum Announces Seven Finalists and Three Commended Students in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation identifies and celebrates academically talented students across the United States. Last October, 1.3 million U.S. high school juniors who took the PSAT/NMSQT were entered into the National Merit Scholarship competition. This year, approximately 16,000 students qualified as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists based on outstanding academic records, participation in school activities, and students' outstanding performance on the PSAT/NMSQT—that's the top 1% in the country and the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

This fall, seven seniors were named Semifinalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program—the most of any private high school in the state of Delaware this year. Just recently, it was announced that all seven have advanced to Finalist status, a remarkable achievement that reflects their dedication and academic excellence. The students honored are Zachary Alvord, Noah Filliben, Nicholas Giannetta, Michael Guarino, Andrés Lorenzo, Benjamin Miller, and Jonathan Ransome. As finalists, they are now eligible to compete for 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million, which will be awarded next spring.

Additionally, three Salesianum seniors—Alex Wang, James Szpak, and Grayson Betterly—have been recognized as Commended Students, placing among the top scorers in the nation for their outstanding performance.

The Salesianum community congratulates them on their academic excellence and wishes them all the best in the next stages of the competition.