9-16-2026 4:21am

9 Local Students

Nine BCPS students named National Merit finalists

TOWSON, Md. — Nine high school seniors from Baltimore County Public Schools have been named semifinalists in the 72nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program, school system officials announced.

The honored students represent four local high schools, including Carver Center for Arts and Technology, Dulaney High School, Eastern Technical High School, and Loch Raven High School.

The semifinalists from Dulaney High School are Rachel R. Brayton and Polina S. Yantsen.

At Eastern Technical High School, four students earned the honor: Tanvi Kashyap, Nishtha Manek, Manas M. Nagelia, and Daniel J. Yu.

The George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology saw two students selected: Inara U. Ozinal and Layla C. Shellhammer.

Anthony W. Lotz was named a semifinalist from Loch Raven High School.

BCPS Superintendent Dr. William Heiser congratulated the students on their academic achievement and credited the teachers, families, and administrators who supported them along the way. He added that the students represent the potential for high achievement across the school system.

More than 1.2 million high school juniors across the country entered the 2027 scholarship program by taking the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The pool of more than 16,000 semifinalists nationwide represents the highest-scoring entrants in each state, with state allocations proportional to their share of graduating seniors.

Most semifinalists are expected to advance to the finalist stage based on academic records, school recommendations, and SAT or ACT performance. Finalists will compete for roughly 6,700 National Merit Scholarships valued at nearly $24 million.

Through a long-standing partnership with the College Board, Baltimore County Public Schools funds PSAT/NMSQT testing for all 10th grade students and SAT testing for all 11th grade students. This year, 11th grade students also had the option to opt in to take the PSAT/NMSQT for a $12 fee to gain SAT practice and compete for merit scholarships.

70 Years of Recognizing Academic Excellence

National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) is celebrating 70 years of accomplishing its mission to recognize and honor the academically talented students of the United States. Join us to commemorate a legacy of excellence in education.

NMSC was established in 1955 when the United States was greatly concerned about the Space Race and public interest in recognizing intellectual achievement was lacking. In response, the National Merit Scholarship Program was created to identify and honor academically talented individuals and to encourage their pursuit of higher education. Through this nationwide competition, National Merit Scholarships are awarded to program Finalists and Special Scholarships are awarded to other high performing participants who meet a corporate sponsor's eligibility criteria.

Did you Know?

NMSC was founded to administer the largest independently funded scholarship program in the United States.
Since its inception, NMSC has awarded in excess of 483,000 scholarships worth more than $1.9 billion for undergraduate study.
Every year, approximately 1.3 million students enter the National Merit Scholarship Program and more than 50,000 students are honored by NMSC.

Learn about NMSC's history and milestones.

Read about NMSC Scholars and how they are changing the world.

Donate to support NMSC and celebrate 70 years of excellence in education

1950s

National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) was founded in 1955 under the leadership of NMSC's first president, John M. Stalnaker. Mr. Stalnaker envisioned, "There is no substitute for individual effort. But the quest is also one that should command the allegiance and support of our society generally, for the nation has a crucial stake in the outcome of each person's attempt to achieve as much as [their] capability permits."

NMSC's first year of operation concluded with 556 four-year Merit Scholarships, of which 195 were funded by 23 corporate sponsors. Scholarship winners attended 160 colleges and universities and approximately $2,500,000 was committed in scholarship funds. About 58,000 top-ranking students participated in the program in more than 10,000 secondary schools.

In 1958, the entry vehicle to the National Merit Scholarship Program was changed from the Scholarship Qualifying Test (SQT) to the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT). That year, 479,000 students took the exam and 20,500 were honored by NMSC.

1960s

(Above) Test score reports were prepared via high-speed electronic equipment. NMSC was thus able to inform schools about the performance of their students a short while after the test date. Tests were individually scored at the Measurement Research Center at the University of Iowa, and school-by-school list reports of students' scores were compiled at Science Research Associates, the testing agency for the National Merit Scholarship Program.

In the 1963 National Merit Scholarship Program, colleges and universities participated as sponsors of Merit Scholarship awards for the first time in the history of the program.

NMSC assisted the federal government with the creation of the Presidential Scholars Program. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson is shown above greeting NMSC’s founding President John M. Stalnaker, as Donald F. Hornig, U.S. Presidential Science Advisor, looks on.

Edward C. Smith (pictured above) became President of National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) on July 1, 1969, upon the retirement of John M. Stalnaker. Mr. Smith, associated with NMSC since its founding, had been Executive Vice President since 1960.

1970s

In 1971, Lemon C. McMillan (pictured above) was named Vice President of the recently established National Achievement Scholarship Program, which focused on highlighting the academic accomplishments of Black students in the United States.

When the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) and the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) became PSAT/NMSQT, cosponsored by NMSC and College Board, 1.2 million students took it to enter the 1973 National Merit Scholarship Program. From this number, nearly 36,000 Black American students also requested consideration in the National Achievement Scholarship Program.

(Top) H. Robert Sharbaugh, president of the Sun Oil Company, is shown here with a group of scholarship winners whose awards were funded by his company. About 70 percent of the Merit Scholarships awarded at this time were financed by sponsors in the Merit Program and 30% were funded by NMSC.

(Bottom) In the lower photo, the winner of an Achievement Scholarship underwritten by Bell Telephone Laboratories tours Bell Labs. Sponsors financed 65 percent of the scholarships awarded in the 1971 Achievement Program.

1980s

The 1980s marked a period of significant growth, during which NMSC solidified its position as the name in merit-based awards for students in the United States. In 1981, the number of National Merit $1000 Scholarships awarded per year grew to 1,200 and grew again to 1,800 the following year. In 1985, the value of each one-time National Merit Scholarship and National Achievement Scholarship increased to $2000. NMSC awarded a total of 4,752 scholarships to high-achieving students through the 1980 National Merit Scholarship Program. By 1989, the total number of awards increased to 6,290 through the National Merit Scholarship Program.

M. Elizabeth Jacka (pictured above) became the Corporation's third president on January 1, 1986, upon the retirement of Edward C. Smith. Dr. Jacka, who joined NMSC in 1963, had been Executive Vice President since 1969.

Lisbeth R. Gibson (pictured above) pursued a major in textiles engineering. Lockheed Leadership Fund, the sponsor of her award, was one of 461 corporations, company foundations, and other business organizations that supported 58% of the awards at that time. Two hundred and twenty three college and university sponsors provided awards for 40% of enrolled Scholars. Merit Scholars attended 695 U.S. higher education institutions and pursued a wide variety of career goals.

1990s

On August 19, 1990, NMSC’s founding president, John M. Stalnaker (pictured above), passed away. During Mr. Stalnaker’s presidency from 1955 to 1969, 14 annual Merit Scholarship competitions and five annual Achievement Scholarship competitions were completed. After his retirement in 1969, Mr. Stalnaker continued for two decades to serve NMSC as President Emeritus, Consultant, and Honorary Director. In recognition of his professional leadership nationally and his invaluable contributions to NMSC, NMSC's Board of Directors established the John M. Stalnaker Memorial Merit Scholarship, and the first recipient was appointed in 1991. Since then, the scholarship has been awarded annually as an ongoing tribute to Mr. Stalnaker, whose ideas, more than those of any other person, influenced the basic design of the National Merit Scholarship Program and, subsequently, the National Achievement Scholarship Program.

The first recipient of the John M. Stalnaker Memorial Merit Scholarship was Steven W. Jilcott, Jr. (pictured above), who attended California Institute of Technology with plans at the time to pursue a career in theoretical physics and pure mathematics.

2000s

NMSC made changes to its operations and technology which improved the experience of Semifinalists, Scholars, and high schools. Additionally, the business boom driven by the internet generated additional scholarships from corporate sponsors.

In 2001, the value of each one-time National Merit $2000 Scholarship and National Achievement $2000 Scholarship increased to $2500.

In 2005, NMSC celebrated its 50th Anniversary. During these 50 years, the organization had honored 2.4 million students and awarded over 277,000 scholarships valued at $1.1 billion.

For the remainder of the decade, NMSC focused on streamlining services for high school students. In 2008, the NMSC Online Graduation Report (OGR) allowed Scholars to submit information about their college experiences and accomplishments online. In 2009, the NMSC Online Scholarship Renewal (OSR) site launched allowing Scholars to annually renew their scholarships online.

Following the launch of OGR and OSR, the organization established the NMSC Scholar Community. This online community still thrives today, as a place where over 21,000 Scholars nationwide can network with fellow Scholars.

Marianne C. Roderick (pictured above) became NMSC's fourth President on January 1, 2000. Dr. Roderick joined NMSC in 1969, was elected a Vice President in 1973, and had been Executive Vice President since 1988.

Timothy E. McGuire (pictured above) became NMSC's fifth President on January 1, 2006. Mr. McGuire joined NMSC in 1991 as Director of Sponsor Services and was named Vice President–Sponsor Services in 1994. In 1999, he was elected Senior Vice President and became Executive Vice President in 2003.

2010s

NMSC continued to upgrade its technology throughout the 2010s. A key milestone in the corporation’s history happened in 2010 with the launch of the Online Scholarship Application (OSA). The OSA was developed to accept scholarship applications online from students, parents, and high schools, which greatly improved the overall application experience.

The 50th year of the National Achievement Scholarship Program was completed in 2014 having honored 223,000 students and awarded 33,000 scholarships valued at $108 million. With the conclusion of the 2015 competition, the National Achievement Scholarship Program transitioned to the UNCF Achievement Capstone Program. The new program, which began in 2016, is administered by UNCF and underwritten by the National Achievement Scholarship Program, with an investment of more than $7 million. The program honors and awards financial assistance to high-achieving, underrepresented college graduates.

In 2016 NMSC News was introduced as a way for NMSC to highlight more students in its programs. NMSC News became a place to share news about the programs, its Scholars, and its sponsors. NMSC currently posts three times per week on NMSC News and continues to shine a spotlight on the incredible Scholars who are recognized through its competitions.

While most NMSC News is provided through responses to surveys completed by graduating Scholars, in 2017 we met with Dr. Anna V. Balabanova (pictured above with NMSC President, Timothy E. McGuire) who shared her educational and career experiences with us. Her interview was the first posted on NMSC News. Since meeting Dr. Balabanova, NMSC has interviewed Scholars who work as artists, engineers, biologists, and statisticians, and in the fields of healthcare, finance, law, and virtually every field in-between. Sharing their stories with other Scholars on NMSC News is just one of the ways NMSC helps to connect Scholars and increase awareness about its mission.

2020s and Beyond

NMSC has demonstrated its unwavering commitment to fostering academic excellence and community among its Scholars.

In 2021, UNCF and NMSC officers gathered with HBCU presidents at the Clark Atlanta University Dubois Statue Platform for the presentation of an additional grant for the Achievement Capstone Program. In attendance (from left to right) were: UNCF Executive Vice President & CAO Maurice E. Jenkins, Jr.; Clark Atlanta University President George T. French, Jr.; UNCF President & CEO Michael L. Lomax; NMSC President & CEO Timothy E. McGuire; Morehouse College President David A. Thomas; and NMSC Executive Vice President Jeffrey Z. Little.

In 2024, NMSC hosted a reception in Chicago (pictured above), bringing together Scholars from every decade to celebrate their accomplishments and deepen their connections. That same year, the corporation launched the online NMSC Scholar Forum, "The Future of Communication", featuring expert-led discussions on marketing and communication. In 2025 NMSC hosted another reception in New York City (pictured below), where Scholars shared their experiences and built meaningful relationships. These events highlight NMSC’s dedication to fostering an engaged community while continuing to honor and support the nation’s brightest individuals.