SJA Senior Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
St. Johnsbury Academy Senior Dillon Chen of Franconia, NH, has been recognized as a semifinalist in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. SJA is one of only 18 of the state’s 76 high schools to have students recognized as semifinalists.
St. Johnsbury Academy Headmaster Dr. Sharon Howell said, “We congratulate Dillon heartily for this achievement, which constitutes such an impressive level of scholarship. We are proud to have him representing the academic excellence of St. Johnsbury Academy in this national program.”
Over 1.3 million juniors participated in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). From that number, 16,000 students, approximately one percent of the total, are named as semifinalists. About 15,000 of those students are expected to advance to the finalist level. Merit Scholar designees are selected based on their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, regardless of gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.
Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2025. Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit® $2,500 Scholarships. About 770 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 130 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located. In addition, about 150 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 3,600 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.
National Merit Scholarship winners of 2025 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 382,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.
