Twenty-three students from Paradise Valley Unified School District (PVSchools) have been named as 2026 National Merit Semifinalists. The National Merit Scholarship Program recognizes high school students who achieve top scores on the qualifying exam in their state.
To move forward in the competition, these Semifinalists must meet academic and other requirements to become Finalists. In the spring, more than 16,000 Semifinalists nationwide will be notified about their advancement to Finalist status.
The PVSchools seniors recognized as Semifinalists are:
From Horizon High School: Anna Parker, Griffin Connolly, Miles Chovnick, Oriana Manfredi, Ramya Ramanathan, and Taryn Falvey.
From Paradise Valley High School: Kajsa Burns, Tejas Dhulipalla, Archana Gurudu, Prashansa Narnur, Maatank Parashar, Aarush Reddy, Shyam Sathisan, Tyler Surguine, and Liam Whelan.
From Pinnacle High School: Aadarsh Vikram, Shivani Satheeshkumar, Esha Rastogi, Kristian Kasabov, Kylie Busby, and Grant Beck.
From Shadow Mountain High School: Jack Moyer and Ryan Rojahn.
“Semifinalists are the highest-scoring entrants in each state. This is a significant accomplishment, and we couldn’t be more proud of them!” said a representative from PVSchools.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition that identifies and honors high-achieving students across the United States. Students selected as Finalists will have the opportunity to compete for scholarships offered by the program.
