The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of Idaho seniors selected as semifinalists in the annual National Merit Scholarship Program that honors the academic prowess of thousands of students across the country.
Petra Kennedy, a Moscow High School senior who’s among Idaho’s semifinalists, said, “My drive for excellence comes from my family. I’m interested in academics because my mom and dad instilled a sense of curiosity and determination in me early on … but past that, I’ve had some very inspirational teachers.”
Her classmate, Max Pieper, 17, is motivated to succeed because he truly enjoys learning about different topics and “making connections between them.” With plans to attend the Naval Academy, Pieper has a keen interest in foreign relations, like the tension between Taiwan and China.
“I’ve always been interested in … how different factors can influence countries’ actions. Seeing the political maneuvering and how the economics of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry ties into it is really fascinating to me,” Pieper said.
The nationwide pool of semifinalists represents less than one percent of all U.S. high school seniors. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors. The program selected 100 Idaho students.
Thirty-four percent of the state’s total number of semifinalists are from the Boise School District. “Congratulations to the students who have earned recognition as a national semifinalist and honored for their academic ability,” said Coby Dennis, Boise School District superintendent.
The following six high schools boasted the highest number of semifinalists: Boise High School, 16; Timberline High School, 15; Renaissance High School, 8; Moscow High School, 5; Cole Valley Christian High School, 4; Idaho Falls High School, 4; Bishop Kelly High School, 4.
Seventeen-year-old Kieran Long said, “I don’t really know where my ‘drive for excellence’ comes from. My parents encouraged me to do well in school, but that doesn’t cover everything. I try to do well in school simply because I know I can, and it feels disappointing to not do as well as I know I can.”
The scholarship program is an annual academic competition among high school students for recognition and college scholarships. Millions of students vie for admission to the program and scholarships worth nearly $28 million. As they traverse the program, students are awarded status levels: commended, semifinalist, finalist and finally merit scholars. Scholarship winners are announced in the spring.
To become a finalist, semifinalists must submit a detailed scholarship application that includes an academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received.
Long hasn’t selected a specific academic path because he enjoys every subject. “I want to use college to figure out what I am truly interested in and what I want to do for the rest of my life,” he said.
Mason Bledsoe plans to study aerospace engineering with a focus on propulsion technology. “My drive for excellence mostly comes from my interests. I just happen to be really fascinated by topics that are covered in school.”
2024 Idaho National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists
BOISE HIGH SCHOOL
Taelyn J. Baiza
Sophia Y. Chen
Adriana M. Curtis
Reece J. Deidrick
Fiona A. Fleisher
Lauren E. Gee
Noe H. Kemper
Avery Lott
Lauren E. Olsen
Tyson E. Russell
Keyton S. Smith
Nicholas Thomas
Cory Thomas-Liddle
James Welcker
Megan Wolin
Oliver T. Wroten
CAPITAL HIGH SCHOOL
Sophia Bourgeau
Anthony Donegan
Luke O. McKinney
CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOL
Christopher Dunkley
HOMESCHOOL
Zelia M. Vidales
Ellyn L. Tran
BISHOP KELLY HIGH SCHOOL
Wesley B. Barton
Ryan A. Buckner
Isaac V. Pettyjohn
Hoyoon Song
RIVERSTONE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
Fiona Van De Graaff
TIMBERLINE HIGH SCHOOL
Ibrahim Ahmad
Garrett T. Eppich
Isaac Estrada
Austin J. Giffen
Jaya Kasthuri
Bhavya Kistupati
Hayoon Lee
Elena Li
Nathan X. Li
Stephanie Liu
Margaret McCormick
Kahlil Monje
Alessandra Truax
Forrest Zeng
Kevin Zhu
COEUR D’ALENE CHARTER ACADEMY
Henry DePew
Abigail Moehring
COEUR D’ALENE HIGH SCHOOL
Jameson J. Dale
Andrew C. Hubbard
Isabella O. Le
EAGLE HIGH SCHOOL
Annalise DeMange
Nikita Didenko
Tristan Walker
WOOD RIVER HIGH SCHOOL
Lucas A. Smith
IDAHO FALLS HIGH SCHOOL
Victor S. Huang
Alexander B. Kingma
Grace E. Madsen
Katelyn G. Traynor
THUNDER RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL
Samuel C. Spencer
KIMBERLY HIGH SCHOOL
Mallory Otto
KUNA HIGH SCHOOL
James M. Leckie
MCCALL-DONNELLY HIGH SCHOOL
George Speirs
AMBROSE SCHOOL
Krystin A. Collingwood
COLE VALLEY CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL
Micah P. Hatfield
Rinoa J. Oliver
Jacob Parnell
Brandon M. Vander Stelt
MERIDIAN MEDICAL ARTS CHARTER
Bekir Swidan
MERIDIAN TECHNICAL CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL
Joshua Richmond
MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL
Gavin S. Keller
OWYHEE HIGH SCHOOL
Micah Palin
RENAISSANCE HIGH SCHOOL
Cameron Z. Beaver
Hannah Beaver
Colman Lee
Brooklyn D. Lewis
Lucy Porter
Logan S. Ray
Hannah Scoville
Johnathan Van Vliet
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL
Rachel Roberts
MOSCOW HIGH SCHOOL
Mason Bledsoe
Petra Kennedy
Kieran Long
Max Pieper
Dylan Taylor
MOUNTAIN HOME HIGH SCHOOL
Gareth P. Brantley
SKYVIEW HIGH SCHOOL
Melissa Eyer
CENTURY HIGH SCHOOL
Josh T. Agres
Evelyn R. Brittin
HIGHLAND HIGH SCHOOL
Ellie G. Burnside
Elise L. Wood
POCATELLO HIGH SCHOOL
Elijah C. Buchanan
Clare M. Earnest
Caleb A. Jensen
CLASSICAL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
Michael P. Bell
MADISON HIGH SCHOOL
Camilla J. Cullimore
Casey Donahoo
Elena M. Pack
SANDPOINT HIGH SCHOOL
Keane J. Haesle
TWIN FALLS HIGH SCHOOL
Benjamin T. Rands
Zachariah L. Swensen
Mason B. Ward
XAVIER CHARTER SCHOOL
Anna Aiello
