On September 11th, 2025, Centennial announced the eleven seniors that had been named semi-finalists for the National Merit Scholarship Program. 

Albert Cao, Aiden Lee, Andrew Baynes, Darsh Bakshi, Emma Fradlin, Kai Luo, Kelly Ji, Shrihas Kodali, Thomas Diep, Sophia Liang, and Qiao Fan received an email the night before their achievement was publicly declared. 

The result of outstanding PSAT scores have given these students the opportunity to receive up to a full scholarship for college tuition. Juniors who are high scoring on either the PSAT or NMSQT can qualify for this prestigious program. 

These seniors will serve as role models for their fellow classmates for years to come. 

Needless to say, Centennial is swelling with pride. “Centennial, we are very blessed with smart kids here,” said Dr. Joelle Miller, Centennial High’s principal. “For us to have eleven students, is off the charts.”

It was a pleasant surprise for the chosen Seniors. 

“During dinner, my mom found the list of all the Howard County recipients,” recipient Aiden Lee said. “I wasn’t expecting it.” 

There was an atmosphere of quiet disbelief and joy in the conference room where the students watched their hard work be rewarded through such a prestigious honor. 

According to the National Merit Scholarship Program, semi-finalists will be provided scholarship application materials to be considered for advancement in the competition for National Merit Scholarships to be awarded in 2026.