HOUSTON – The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®) has named nine Harmony Public School students as 2025 National Merit Semifinalists.
The Harmony scholars are among the more than 16,000 highest-scoring entrants out of 1.3 million students nationwide who took the fall 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) as juniors. The top-scoring entrants in each state were named National Merit Semifinalists as part of the program’s 70th year, representing less than 1.0% of this year’s U.S. high school seniors.
These academically talented high school seniors 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.
The 2025 National Merit Semifinalists are:
- Craig Gleason – Harmony School of Advancement
- Jessen Ramen – Harmony School of Discovery
- Tajwar Mainuddin – Harmony School of Innovation – Katy
- Cristobal Martinez – Harmony School of Innovation – Sugar Land
- Aftab Mohammad – Harmony School of Innovation – Sugar Land
- Doris Nguyen – Harmony School of Innovation – Sugar Land
- Ismail Orak – Harmony School of Innovation – Sugar Land
- Dhir Parekh – Harmony School of Innovation – Sugar Land
- Dhruv Parekh – Harmony School of Innovation – Sugar Land
To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT® or ACT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.
From over 16,000 semifinalists, more than 15,000 will be notified in February that they have advanced to the finalist level and achieved the finalist designation. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of finalists.
National Merit Scholarship winners of 2025 will be announced beginning in April. These scholarship recipients will join more than 382,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.
Harmony Public Schools is a Texas-born, Texas-wide public charter school system with more than 60 campuses serving PreK-Grade 12 students in 23 cities across the state, including Greater Houston, DFW, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Waco, Lubbock, Midland-Odessa, Bryan, Beaumont, and the Rio Grande Valley. Harmony’s curriculum places a heavy focus on STEM skills, Character Education, project-based learning, and college readiness.
Harmony Public Schools is currently accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school year for both students and team members.
About Harmony Public Schools
Harmony Public Schools are 60+ high-performing PreK-12 college preparatory charter schools throughout Texas. Harmony blends the highest standards and expectations, with a rigorous math- and science-centered curriculum and dedicated and engaged teachers and families to cultivate excellence and prepare students to succeed in college, careers and life. At Harmony Public Schools, we believe every child can succeed, and we are committed to helping them realize their full potential. To learn more about Harmony Public Schools and our 60+ campuses across Texas, please visit: www.HarmonyTX.org, and follow us on X at @HarmonyEdu and ‘Like’ us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HarmonyTexas.
About National Merit Scholarship Corporation
NMSC is a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 280 business organizations, higher education institutions, and individual donors that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.
