14 Fishers, HSE students honored as National Merit semifinalists

LarryInFishers.com
National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists (photo provided)

Fourteen students from Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern high schools were honored at an Oct. 1 breakfast for being named semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program, according to HSE Schools.

Nine students attend Fishers High School and five attend Hamilton Southeastern High School. The recognition gives them an opportunity to continue competing for college scholarships.

The program identifies semifinalists based on qualifying PSAT scores, with the highest-scoring entrants in each state earning the designation, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

The district identified the local honorees as:

Fishers High School: Asher Burgoyne, Cooper Chapple, Sashi Ganapaneni, Owen Jerrell, Abeer Khan, Abiola Olutayo, Allison Svilenov, Seth Tennekoon and Ben Wu.

Hamilton Southeastern High School: Thomas Bezza, Liam Kenyon, Tyler Orris, William Pence and Hojin Shin.

Svilenov credited teachers with helping shape her academic experience.

“Having teachers that genuinely cared about their students and were passionate about teaching had a tremendous impact on the type of student I am today,” she said in the district’s news release.

Jason Urban, assistant superintendent of secondary education, said preparation for academic achievement begins long before high school.

“One of the things that really prepares students well is to have a challenging, rigorous, relevant curriculum throughout their journey,” Urban said.

According to the district, freshmen and sophomores take practice exams that help families, teachers and counselors identify students’ strengths and areas for improvement. That information helps guide course selections, including Advanced Placement and dual credit classes.

Bezza described the semifinalist recognition as an accomplishment shared with those who supported him.

“Being named a semifinalist feels less like validation and more like a shared achievement with my school. It reminds me how fortunate I am to be surrounded by passionate HSE educators, my thoughtful friends and my supportive family,” he said.