Vestavia Hills City Schools

September 10, 2025 — Two dozen Vestavia Hills High School seniors have been named National Merit Semifinalists — the largest group from any Alabama high school this year and the school’s biggest showing in nearly two decades.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced its 71st annual list of Semifinalists today, recognizing about 16,000 high-achieving students nationwide who represent less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors.

Semifinalists at Vestavia Hills High School include (as shown in photograph):

Front row, L–R: Mina Hu, Lucy Manary, Lily Xie, Judy Yamani, Mariam Malik, Vivian Shi, Ayden Yother, Evelyn Kutny, Zara McKelvey, Tina Lou, Tina Gao

Back row, L–R: Syed Andrabi, Lance Wilkerson, Vaughan Milliman, John Wimberly, Ryaan Singh, Aditya Sheelavant, Eric Wang, Daniel McMurray, Jaymin Bae, Cooper Prier, Jack Hugunine, Pratul Danasekar, Jeffrey Zhao

This year’s 24 students mark the largest group from VHHS since 2006, when the school also had 24 Semifinalists. It is the third time this decade that VHHS has produced more than 20 Semifinalists in a single year.

Students qualified for the honor by earning top scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in 2024. As Semifinalists, they will compete for about $26 million in scholarships to be awarded next spring.

“It is an honor to congratulate this year’s National Merit Semifinalists for the way they’ve approached learning — with consistency, curiosity, and perseverance,” Vestavia Hills High School principal Blair Inabinet said today. “Their journey reflects our core values of respect, excellence, and service, reminding us that success grows out of daily choices and steady effort. This recognition is a milestone, but even more, it is proof of the power of process and dedication.”

National Merit Finalists will be announced in spring 2026.