Seniors at Aquinas Academy in Hampton earn National Merit commendation

Three Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh seniors have been recognized in the 2023 National Merit Competition as Commended Students.

Mary BouSamra, Sam Buchanan and Liam Ellis rank among approximately 34,000 Commended Students nationwide who are gaining acknowledgement of their exceptional academic promise, representing fewer than 3% of all who enter the program each year.

Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers who entered the 2023 competition by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Of that number, about 16,000 are recognized as National Merit Semifinalists.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is a national academic competition for high school students to provide financial aid to attend college. It is administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corp., which has the mission of honoring academically talented students of the United States.