Butler, Hagen named semifinalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program

September 27, 2024

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Laguna Beach High School seniors Frederic Butler and Lyric Hagen have been named semifinalists in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). They now have the opportunity to continue competing for 6,870 National Merit Scholarships, collectively worth nearly $26 million, which will be awarded in the spring of 2025.

From left to right: Frederic Butler, Principal Jason Allemann and Lyric Hagen. Butler and Hagen have made it to the semifinals of the National Merit Scholarship program. Photo courtesy of LBUSD

“We are always proud to see the amazing accomplishments of our students, and being named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists is no small feat, placing them among the top academic scholars in the nation,” said LBHS Principal Jason Allemann. “This achievement is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and the support of our school community. We congratulate these exceptional students and look forward to their continued success.”

To progress to the finalist level, semifinalists complete several requirements, including submitting a detailed scholarship application and demonstrating high academic performance. In collaboration with a high school official, they must provide information on their academic records, school and community involvement, leadership abilities, honors, and awards received, along with an essay and verified SAT or ACT scores. While SAT and ACT scores are not required for admission to public universities in California (UCs and CSUs), these tests may still be optional or needed for private universities and out-of-state institutions.

“I’m honored and surprised at being a semifinalist. I wasn’t expecting to receive the score that I got on my PSAT, much less becoming a semifinalist. I’m looking forward to the rest of the process,” Butler said. “The process mostly consisted of waiting. Months passed between taking the test and being notified of my standing as a semifinalist. Similarly, I’ve heard that being informed as to whether or not you are a finalist also takes months. There’s a lot of anticipation, especially when waiting to know if you are a finalist or not.”

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, 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 the state.

National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalists will be notified of their finalist status in February 2025. All National Merit Scholarship winners, announced beginning in April, will be selected from this group of finalists. Merit Scholar designees are chosen based on their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.