Highland High School is proud to announce that senior Alice Dong has been named a semifinalist in the prestigious National Merit Scholarship competition. Two of her classmates—Nicholas Fiorese and Alexander Papazov—have been recognized as Commended Students by the same program.

The National Merit Scholarship program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college scholarships. Students who are U.S. citizens, who plan to go to college, and who take the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) in October of their junior year are eligible to receive National Merit distinctions and scholarships. Alice’s PSAT score made her eligible to continue on in the program, and she is now in the running to be considered for a National Merit Scholarship award next spring.

Although Nicholas and Alexander will not continue in the 2024 competition, they still find themselves part of a group of thousands of Commended Students across the nation being recognized for their exceptional academic promise.

“These are impressive academic achievements, and our entire school community is proud of these students’ accomplishments,” said High School Principal Kevin Murphy. “We congratulate Nick and Alex, and wish Alice luck as she continues on the rigorous road toward hopefully becoming a finalist in the competition.”