The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has announced the names of the semifinalists in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program. Seven Blake seniors have earned semifinalist designation. These academically talented high school seniors now have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,800 National Merit Scholarships worth about $42 million that will be offered next spring. About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and more than half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.

Congratulations to Blake's semifinalists (pictured alphabetically from top left to bottom right):

Sonia Baig
Emily Carlisle
Evelyn Mendoza (not pictured)
Ale Perri
Lucas Schattenmann
Taggert Smith
Jason Wang

Blake also congratulates 16 members of its senior class who have just been commended by the National Merit Scholarship Program in recognition of their outstanding academic promise. Although commended students do not continue in the competition for National Merit scholarships, some of these students do become candidates for special scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses. Blake’s commended students are:

Edward Adams 
Ben Aronow
Sujit Chepuri 
Ryan Cunningham 
John Erlandson 
Nathaniel Gullickson 
Rohan Harle 
Amanda Lee Molina 
Clara Lee Molina 
Tyler May 
Cate Moe 
Yasser Mohiuddin
Tommy Pan 
Benjamin Peterson 
Samrat Pradhan 
Aksel Reid