Last fall, over 1.3 million juniors from 20,000 high schools took the PSAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) has announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 71st Annual National Merit Scholarship Program, representing less than one percent of the top high school seniors in the United States based on PSAT/NMQST results. AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School is proud to celebrate not one, but three Semifinalists from the Class of 2026: Andrew Gharibian, Sevag Markarian, and Sevag Vakian.

These outstanding students now have the opportunity to advance to Finalist standing and compete for nearly $26 million in scholarships, including the prestigious National Merit Scholarship awards. Winners will be selected for one of three scholarships: the $2,500 National Merit Scholarships, corporate-sponsored awards, and college-sponsored awards. Final results will be announced beginning in April 2026.

We congratulate Andrew, Sevag M., and Sevag V. on this remarkable achievement and wish them continued success as they move forward in the competition.