Amolika Chanda and Kerry Vu, (center) Murray High School seniors’ names as 2025 National Merit Semifinalists. Pictured with (from left) Tony Jarvis, MHS principal, Rupkatha Bardhan, (Chanda’s mother), and Binh Vu and Ngoc Bui, (Vu’s parents).
Amolika Chanda and Kerry Vu, Murray High School seniors, have been named Semifinalists in the 2025 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. "Murray High School is excited to see our two semifinalists and look forward to seeing them continue through their senior year and the National Merit process,” said Tony Jarvis, MHS principal. “They join a long history of Murray High student success."
Chanda and Vu join the approximate 16,000 Semifinalists names by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). 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.
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.
Chanda and Vu are MHS ACT 30+ Club inductees, recognizing MHS students who scored 30 or above on the ACT. Currently, MHS has 102 students who are members of the ACT 30+ Club.
Chanda and Vu are Leadership Team members of the Murray High School Band. Vu is a MHS Drum major and member of the MHS Band saxophone section. Chanda is the Baritone Section leader of the MHS Band and part of the Featured Quartet Ensemble in the 2024 MHS Tiger Marching Band Show.
National Merit Scholarship 2025 winners will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join nearly 382,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.
Since 1974, Murray High School has boasted 49 National Merit Finalists, 5 Semi-Finalists, and 14 National Merit Commended scholars.
Chanda is the daughter of Diptiman Chanda and Rupkatha Bardhan. Vu is the son of Binh Vu and Ngoc Bui.