On Feb. 16th, 2025, the John Champe High School Knightly Newsletter published the names of four seniors who were announced as National Merit Finalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. This is a huge accomplishment for these students, as finalists must achieve high scores on various tests, maintain exceptional grades, and be in good standing with the school to get to this position.
It starts with students taking the PSAT/NMSQT in their junior year. If they achieve a high score on the test and make the cutoff for their state, they have a chance at becoming a National Merit Semifinalist. To have a shot at becoming a finalist, students must complete an application with an essay, achieve high scores on the SAT or ACT, and get a school endorsement from their principal.
“I put in work studying for the PSAT to become a semifinalist and wrote the essay to become a finalist. The hard work seemed to pay off,” finalist Suchir Godavarthi said. “I think that being able to compete for a chance to get this scholarship was a really good opportunity, and I hope to advance further and possibly win the scholarship.” added Godavarthi.
These students are some of the best scholars in the country, as only about 15,000 students get selected to be finalists out of the over 1.5 million juniors who take the PSAT/NMSQT every year nationwide. National Merit Finalists compete for a $2500 scholarship, with around half of the National Merit Finalists winning a scholarship. Finalists will be compared with other finalists in Virginia to determine if they will be a scholarship winner.
The students are listed below:
- Suchir Godavarthi
- Manvita “Lucky” Kancharla
- Ethan Kim
- Ethan Mathias
Congratulations to our amazing scholars!
