The School District of Lee County is excited to announce six students have been selected as Semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit® Scholarship Program. National Merit® Semifinalists represent less than 1% of all high school seniors.
The six students are:
- Yamicel Bermudez - Lehigh Senior High School
- Advaith Menon - Dunbar High School
- Jakob Musich – Dunbar High School
- Jaansi Parsa – Dunbar High School
- John Stamatopoulos – Fort Myers High School
- Gabriel Wright – Cape Coral High School
“Yamicel is an incredible student, supportive friend and all-around great person,” said Lehigh Senior High School Principal Darya Grote. “He set earning a National Merit Scholarship as a goal when he started high school and we are so proud he is being recognized by the program. Yamicel is on track to earn his Cambridge Diploma with Distinction and we are excited to see what his future holds.”
“While I am extremely proud of Advaith, Jaansi and Jacob, I am not surprised at their accomplishments,” said Dunbar High School Principal Carl Burnside. “Their achievement is representative of the caliber of educational opportunities offered, as well as the high caliber of student who attends Dunbar High School, as we continue to have students who perform on the national and global levels in our IB STEM programs.”
“The Green Wave family is incredibly proud of John for this tremendous achievement!” said Fort Myers High School Principal Christian Engelhart. “He is extremely intelligent, a creative thinker, and highly knowledgeable on a wide variety of topics. This honor is very well-deserved, and we couldn’t be happier for John!”
“Gabe is an exceptional student in our IB Program and is currently our top student in the Class of 2024,” said Cape Coral High School Principal Ryan Jackson. “Gabe exemplifies all of our IB learner profile traits and continues to be a student leader in academic and extra-curricular activities. Cape Coral High School is so proud of Gabe and his accomplishments!”
1.3 million High school juniors entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.
From the approximately 16,000 Semifinalists nationwide, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level in February. To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application with the student’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, honors, endorsements and an essay. They will then compete for 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth $28 million that will be offered next spring.