English
Spanish
Portuguese
Arabic
Haitian Creole
Chinese (Traditional)
By Emily Brennan
Mystic Valley Regional Charter School is proud to announce that 10 members of the Class of 2027 have earned recognition from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for their outstanding performance on the 2025 PSAT/NMSQT®, including senior Angelina Ricciardone, who has been named a Semifinalist in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program. Nine additional Mystic Valley seniors — Maya Abuzaid, Victor Caetano, Adam Cheng, Wassim Daoud, Sadra Hashempour, Prisha Kumar, Ihsan Niğdelioğlu, Kyle Phung and Emma Wang — have been named Commended Students. The nine honorees represent the most Commended Students in Mystic Valley history, both by total number and as a percentage of the graduating class.
More than 1.2 million high school juniors from approximately 20,000 high schools entered this year’s National Merit Scholarship Program. Just over 16,000 were selected as Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and including the highest-scoring entrants in each state.
Commended Students are also among the top performers in the competition, placing among the top 50,000 participants nationwide based on their qualifying exam scores. Approximately 34,000 students across the country receive the distinction in recognition of their exceptional academic promise. While Commended Students do not continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships, the honor places them among a select group of the nation’s highest-performing students.
As a Semifinalist, Ricciardone can advance to Finalist standing and compete for National Merit Scholarships. More than 15,000 Semifinalists are expected to be named Finalists in February, with scholarship recipients selected based on their academic achievements, demonstrated abilities and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
Together, Ricciardone and Mystic Valley’s record-setting group of Commended Students highlight the academic achievement of the Class of 2027 and continue the school’s tradition of excellence in preparing students for success beyond high school.
