Immaculata seniors earn National Merit Scholarship recognition

Ava Nagengast, a senior at Immaculata High School, was recently named a semifinalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program, and Samantha Hummel and Sharbella Jacobs, both also seniors at the school, were named Commended Students in the program.

According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, over 1.3 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. Hummel and Jacobs are among the nationwide pool of 34,000 commended students, placing among the top 50,000 students who entered, and Nagengast is among the 16,000 semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors.

As a semifinalist, Nagengast will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition.

While her academic success can be attributed to a number of factors, Nagengast credits her teachers for supporting her along the way.

“Because we have such a familial environment at the school, the teachers at Immaculata not only know you but truly care about you and what you’re going through,” the semifinalist said. “They really want to see you thrive and succeed in all endeavors.”

A Marian Scholar and AP research student, Nagengast also acknowledged that the academic programs at Immaculata High School have helped her cultivate skills she never thought possible to develop in high school.

“The academic programs here were a huge part of my decision to attend Immaculata and my time as a Marian Scholar has definitely been formative in my journey as a student and as a person,” she said.

Ed Webber, the school’s principal, echoed those words, saying, “Immaculata, gratefully thanks to the hard work and dedication of our faculty and my fellow administrators, has a strong academic standing. Year after year, we’re seeing our students achieve extraordinary accomplishments; we’re looking on with admiration as they receive more and more scholarships to their first-choice universities; and, most importantly, we’re here to support them along the way, from their first days in our buildings until they come back for their 50th class reunion, we’re here for all our students and all Spartans, for that matter,” said Webber.

“So, to say I’m proud of these seniors, yes, of course, I’m proud, but I’m proud of all our students; of all our Spartans, past and present; and I’m certainly proud of all our faculty and staff, who’ve helped to shape our students and graduates both academically and personally along the way, myself as an alumnus included.”

Tara Smith serves as Director of Marketing and Communications for I.H.S., Immaculate Conception School; and the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Somerville.