Eight local students have been recognized as semifinalists in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Competition.
Local semifinalists include:
- Patrick Hauke (Owensboro Catholic High School)
- Jax Wethington (Owensboro Catholic High School
- Ellie Haleman (Gatton Academy/Owensboro Catholic High School) of Owensboro
- Jace Hawkins (Gatton Academy/Daviess County High School)
- Landon Block (Owensboro High School)
- Nathan Goins (Daviess County High School)
- Matthew Dunlay (Daviess County High School)
- Sally Tidwell (Daviess County High School)
More than 1.3 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools entered the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.
They will move on to compete for one of approximately 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth a total of nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring. To become a finalist, the semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received.
NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 280 business organizations, higher education institutions, and individual donors that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.
Finalists will be announced in February, and all National Merit Scholarship winners for 2025 are selected from this group. Winners will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July 2025.
