POTTSTOWN, PA — Four Owen J. Roberts (OJR) High School seniors were named by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program. All semifinalists are eligible to compete for some 6,930 National Merit Scholarship awards worth nearly $26 million, to be awarded in spring 2026. The program honors students who meet exceptional academic ability standards and other requirements, including a recommendation from a high school official.
About 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. OJR’s four National Merit Scholarship semifinalists are:
- Sohum Bandyopadhyay – A member of the marching band, Sohum plans to attend a four-year university after high school graduation. He would like to study engineering at university before pursuing a career in electrical engineering and starting his own firm. Additional details about Sohum’s journey can be viewed online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYD6kI7Yh6A.
- Sean Krull – An avid runner and a proud member of OJR’s cross country team, Sean is interested in pursuing a four-year degree in engineering when he graduates from high school. Additional details about Sean’s journey can be viewed online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15oPS80yDv0.
- Riley Serfass – A member of both the high school cheerleading team and DECA, a national association of marketing education students, Riley plans to study business at a four-year school. She is most interested in pursuing a career in marketing. Additional details about Riley’s journey can be viewed online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qrPOqoSwdo.
- Aadit Shah – A member of the Owen J. Roberts High School DECA team who competed at the state championships, Aadit is interested in studying both engineering and business at a four-year college or university after graduating from OJR. Additional details about Aadit’s journey can be viewed online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3etTfvFvSbE.
“This outstanding achievement by Sohum, Sean, Riley and Aadit not only reflects their standing as exemplary performers in our school district, but also places them among the most distinguished performers in the nation,” said Owen J. Roberts High School Principal Steven Kollar. “We are proud to have these four hard-working and passionate students recognized as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists and we look forward to celebrating their ongoing success throughout this school year and for years after they graduate.”
More than 1.3 million juniors in about 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 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. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
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. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT® or ACT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. From over 16,000 Semifinalists, more than 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level, and in February they will be notified of this designation. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.
For more information about the program’s significance for Owen J. Roberts School District students, and how the district works to support academic excellence, please visit OJR’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@OJR_SchoolDistrict.
Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2026. Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis. About 830 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 150 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 for 2026 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join nearly 389,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.
Learn more about the Owen J. Roberts School District at www.ojrsd.com.
Learn more about the National Merit Scholarship Program at www.nationalmerit.org.
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