Photo courtesy of Vestavia Hills City Schools
Vestavia Hills High School has 24 National Merit finalists for 2026. They are, front row from left, Lily Xie, Judy Yamani, Vivian Shi, Mariam Malik, Ayden Yother, Mina Hu, Lucy Manary, Tina Lou, Tina Gao, Jeffrey Zhao and Nehan Andrabi. On the back row from left are Hamp McMurray, Lance Wilkerson, John Lee Wimberly, Ryaan Singh, Adi Sheelavant, Pratul Danasekar, Jack Hugunine, Eric Wang, Vaughan Milliman, Cooper Prier and Jaymin Bae. Not pictured are Evelyn Kutny and Zara McKelvey.
All 24 National Merit semifinalists from Vestavia Hills High School are now finalists — the largest group from any Alabama high school this year, school officials announced Tuesday.
This year’s 24 finalists mark the largest group from Vestavia Hills High School since 2006. It is the third time this decade that the school has produced more than 20 finalists in a single year.
Students qualified for the honor by earning top scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test in 2024. As finalists, they will compete for about $26 million in scholarships to be awarded later this spring.
“This accomplishment reflects the academic talent of these 24 students, as well as their discipline, curiosity and perseverance,” Vestavia Hills High School Principal Blair Inabinet said in a news release. “To have every semifinalist advance to finalist status, and to lead the state with the largest group this year, speaks volumes about their sustained effort, the strength of their support systems and the pursuit of excellence that is a hallmark of VHHS.”
National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced later this spring.
