The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) has announced five seniors from the Great Neck Public Schools as 2025 National Merit $2500 Scholarship winners. Recipients of this prestigious award are Johnathan Ahdout and Tamas Smulovics from North High School, and Ruiqi Liu, Erin Wong, and Laura Zhang from South High School.

A total of 2,500 Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a nationwide talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding Finalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program. National Merit Scholarship winners are judged by NMSC to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

These Scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors based on the following criteria: academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the student; and a recommendation written by their high school principal.

This year, the National Merit Scholarship Program recognized 49 Commended Students, 37 Semifinalists, and 35 Finalists from the Great Neck Public Schools.