The National Merit Scholarship Program has recognized four Mercersburg Academy students as semifinalists and four as commended students for their performance on the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

Mercersburg’s semifinalists are Collin Jin ’25 of Los Angeles, CA; Daniel Liu ’25 of Hagerstown, MD; Yiting Sun ’25 of Frederick, MD; and Isabella Tai ’25 of Hagerstown, MD.

Mercersburg’s commended students are Max Friedman ’25 of Vienna, VA, Jiayi Hu ’25 of Greencastle, PA, Ava Guzic ’25 of Greencastle, PA, and Amanda Xi ’25 of Menlo Park, CA.

“A hearty congratulations to the scholars who have been honored in the National Merit competition,” said Associate Head of School for School Life Julie Maurer ’90, P ’18, ’20, ’22, ’23, ’28.  “We are so proud of your accomplishments!”

The semifinalists have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring. About 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. 

While commended students will not continue in the 2025 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, they are being recognized for academic promise because they placed among the top 50,000 students who took the PSAT in 2023.

Pictured, from left: Isabella Tai ’25, Collin Jin ’25, Jiayi Hu ’25, Max Friedman ’25, Yiting Sun ’25, Amanda Xi ’25 and Ava Guzic ’25. Daniel Liu ’25 was not available for the photo.