Impressive 27 Jesuit Seniors Named National Merit Semifinalists
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Middle row: Andrew Cavallino, Carter Jennings, Aadil Rab, Christian Thomas, Klein Konrad, Joseph Pourciau, Nathan Flynn, and Travis Fish
Bottom row: Salvatore Esola, Samuel Schlafer, Lenox Bacerra, Leo Congeni, William Degenhart, Jackson Sober, Alex Darcey, Aidan Wang, John Henry Schoenbrun, and Vaughn Taylor
Motivated by the pursuit of God’s greater glory, Jesuit cultivates within its students an uncommon commitment to academic rigor. While specific achievements and accomplishments are not themselves the school’s mission, Blue Jays’ accolades over the generations attest to the strength of the formation that students receive on Banks Street.
In this spirit, Jesuit proudly recognizes the 27 National Merit Semifinalists from the Class of 2025. This number is by far the highest of any school in Louisiana for this year’s program. In fact, these 27 National Merit Semifinalists represent roughly 10% of the entire state’s honorees.
These seniors’ outstanding accomplishments come in addition to the five 36s the class has attained so far on the ACT®. Seniors who have scored a 36 include Kacey Cognevich, Leo Congeni, Salvatore Esola, Carter Jennings, and Samuel Schlafer.
The number of semifinalists in a state for the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Program is proportional to that state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors. Nationwide, nearly 1.5 million students entered the competition, and the field was narrowed to only around 16,000 semifinalists. Considering semifinalists alone, this number represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors. From the elite group of semifinalists, 7,500 students will go on to win scholarships worth tens of millions of dollars.
Jesuit is currently awaiting information from College Board about seniors who earned other commendations, and these will be published on Jesuit’s website as they are received.
The faculty, administration, and staff of Jesuit High School congratulate these awardees for their significant academic achievement.
Above all, Jesuit relentlessly pursues God’s greater glory. While students’ academic accolades reflect the school’s mission, they are not the mission itself. They instead signify that Blue Jays are becoming the men that they were made to be: men of faith and men for others.
Alongside celebrating students who attain these academic accomplishments, Jesuit also highlights graduating seniors who are named winners of highly selective merit-based national scholarship competitions. Click here to read about more of these students.
