WESTFIELD, NJ — The Westfield Board of Education honored a Westfield High School senior at their meeting on Oct. 14 for being a semifinalist in the National Merit awards.
Grace Matus advanced out of a group of more than 1.3 million students from 20,000 high schools nationwide after passing the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). The scores are calculated by doubling the reading and writing section scores, adding the math results, and then dividing the total by ten.
“On behalf of the entire Board of Education, it is my great honor to recognize Grace Matus,” Board President Robert Benacchio said while presenting her with a certificate. “Grace is among more than 16,000 academically talented high school seniors nationwide who were named semifinalists in this prestigious program.”
This accounts for less than one percent of all high school students in the United States.
The students will now advance to the “Finalists” round by meeting certain academic standards and submitting a scholarship application along with an official from their school. Each student will then be advanced based on academic record, extracurricular activities, demonstrations of leadership, an essay, and their SAT or ACT scores.
According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), more than 15,000 of these applicants are estimated to move forward. Around half of them will then be named winners of one of three different types of awards totaling $26 million and selected based on skills, accomplishments, and potential for future success as determined by the NMSC.
Finalists will be notified in February. Award winners will then be announced over different stages beginning in April 2026.
L-R: Grace Matus, Principal Mary Asfendis (Credit: Westfield Public Schools)
A group of 30 students at Westfield High School was also honored in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program as Commended Students.
The honor places the group among the top 50,000 students nationwide who entered the program.
The following students have been recognized:
Anya R. Ausiello
Emma Blaustein
Christian Buonopane
Owen Callahan
Ethan Cha
Ava Contract
William Crozier
Deven Davies
Jacob W. Dickey
Seven C. Drake
Luke Fitzgerald
Leo J. Goldman
Kyle Goldstein
Ana Belle Lomaka
Benjamin L. Vons
Flynn A. Martin
Mia C. Nuzzo
Kai Patel
Neeva Patel
Kevin Reynders
Sophia Rodkin
Connor Smith
William Song
Chloe Spatz
Matthew W. Swaminathan
Kingston B. Warr
Logan Welsh
Cecilia Wiggins
Anna G. Zadrozny
Elliott Zhu
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is a nonprofit organization that is independent from any government assistance. It was established in 1955 on the goal of carrying out a nationwide merit program. Scholarships are underwritten by the NMSC with its own funds, and with the help of 300 business organizations, higher education facilities, and individual donors.
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