SSFS Students Recognized by National Merit Scholarship Program

Sandy Spring Friends School is pleased to announce that four members of the Class of 2025 have been named Commended Students in the National Merit Scholarship Program, and one senior has qualified as a Semifinalist. Congratulations to Commended Students Mars Caruso, Charlie Ambrose, Alexios Eleftheriou, and Nicholas Wakefield, and to Semifinalist Neil Diller! 

Below, please see statements issued by the National Merit Scholarship Program regarding these scholars. 

National Merit Scholarship Program: Semifinalists

Over 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. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors. Semifinalists have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. National Merit Scholarship winners of 2025 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. 

National Merit Scholarship Program: Commended Students

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2025 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2025 competition by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). 

"Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success," commented a spokesperson for NMSC. "These students represent a valuable national resources; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success."