Academic Excellence

Seneca Valley seniors Haihan Xu, Peter Ko and Eric Combs have been named finalists in the 68th Annual National Merit Scholarship Program held by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

“Eric Combs, Haihan Xu and Peter Ko have qualified as semifinalist in National Merit Scholarship which indicates that they are in the top 16,000 high school seniors in the country. Recently, we were notified that they have moved onto the finalist round where they can compete for finalist standing in this prestigious honor. All these students are currently enrolled in a demanding course load that requires maximum effort to succeed, and all are doing extremely well. We are very proud of all of them and wish them the best of luck as they move further along in the process,” said Seneca Valley Senior High School Principal, Mr. Bob Ceh.

These SV standouts are three of approximately 16,000 finalists and will now advance to the next level of the program where they have the opportunity to earn National Merit Scholarships and, ultimately, the Merit Scholar® title.

“I am grateful for my incredible teachers and my parents who have inspired me to work hard. Without their support, I would not have been able to earn this great award,” said Mr. Combs.

Mr. Xu added, “I feel honored to receive the distinction of National Merit Finalist and represent Seneca Valley with this title.”

About 1.5 million juniors in more than 21,000 high schools entered the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants.

“I am proud to be a National Merit Finalist and represent Seneca Valley with this title. Being recognized for this reflects both my own hard work as well as the contributions from my teachers here at SV, and I know I will continue to work hard to achieve success in my future endeavors,” said Mr. Ko.

For more information on National Merit Scholarship Program, visit www.nationalmerit.org.

Pictured L to R: Seneca Valley seniors, Haihan Xu, Peter Ko, Eric Combs and Seneca Valley Senior High School Principal, Mr. Bob Ceh.