Two Diocese of Venice Catholic high school seniors recently received national recognition for academic success and were named 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalist on Sept. 19, 2025.
Those gaining semifinalist status are: Sofia Mayus and Ambrielle Calixte, both from Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers.
Sofia and Ambrielle’s achievement placed them among only 17,000 students nationwide to be recognized among the 1.3 million juniors who entered the competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The nationwide pool of semifinalists includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state and represents less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors.
Being named semifinalists puts these two scholars on a path to compete to become National Merit Scholarship Finalists and potential scholarship winners. The process includes submitting a detailed application with information about their academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, as well as honors and awards received.
Finalists are announced in the spring and have an opportunity to continue in the competition for more than 6,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $25 million to be offered in early 2026. The program not only offers financial support for college but also serves as a mark of academic excellence and distinction.
In addition, nine Diocesan high school students were honored as National Merit Commended Students for having scores in the top 3% of all test takers. The Commended Students included: from Bishop Verot, Brooke Bunch, Mark Chung, Thomas Eichten, Benjamin Juhasz, Gavin Mann, and Bennett Sweitzer; and from Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School in Sarasota, Duke Bergstrom, Jackson McCray, and Emma Stuart.
Congratulations to each of the students for a tremendous academic honor that reflects each student’s dedication, intelligence, and potential for future success.
