Waukesha Times

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation named 61 high school students from Waukesha County among more than 16,000 semifinalists nationwide for the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program, according to contest results announced Wed., Sept. 10. The program recognizes students' scholastic abilities and their potential for college success. Winners will be announced in the spring of 2026.

In total, 288 Wisconsin high school students were recognized as semifinalists in this year’s program.

City	High School	Name
Brookfield	Brookfield Academy	Ahuja, Neerja
Brookfield	Brookfield Academy	O'Quinn, Emily G.
Brookfield	Brookfield Academy	Parkins, Niall
Brookfield	Brookfield Academy	Sajid, Rahmah
Brookfield	Brookfield Academy	Thiel, Annika
Brookfield	Brookfield Academy	Tian, Claire
Brookfield	Brookfield Academy	Zheng, Victoria
Brookfield	Brookfield Central H. S.	Cao, Leon
Brookfield	Brookfield Central H. S.	England, Owen
Brookfield	Brookfield Central H. S.	Han, Liyang
Brookfield	Brookfield Central H. S.	Hou, Kevin
Brookfield	Brookfield Central H. S.	Kumar, Nishkarsh
Brookfield	Brookfield Central H. S.	Liu, Aidan
Brookfield	Brookfield Central H. S.	Lu, Benjamin
Brookfield	Brookfield Central H. S.	Mayya, Vaishnavi
Brookfield	Brookfield Central H. S.	Menon, Vinayak
Brookfield	Brookfield Central H. S.	Nammi, Meera
Brookfield	Brookfield Central H. S.	Nayak, Ishani
Brookfield	Brookfield Central H. S.	Pakala, Krisha
Brookfield	Brookfield Central H. S.	Panda, Shreya
Brookfield	Brookfield Central H. S.	Ramachandrula, Vaidehi
Brookfield	Brookfield Central H. S.	Semin, Andrey
Brookfield	Brookfield East H. S.	Girish, Isha T.
Brookfield	Brookfield East H. S.	Longley, Gavin
Brookfield	Brookfield East H. S.	Moorching, Aditi R.
Brookfield	Brookfield East H. S.	Orejuela, Alexandra C.
Brookfield	Brookfield East H. S.	Sandroni, Isabella B.
Brookfield	Brookfield East H. S.	Schmidt, Elizabeth
Brookfield	Brookfield East H. S.	Zhang, Ethan Z.
Brookfield	Brookfield East H. S.	Zheng, Jake M.
Hartland	Arrowhead H. S.	Balla, Varun K.
Hartland	Arrowhead H. S.	Brandel, Evelyn T.
Hartland	Arrowhead H. S.	Feiker, Adia-Mae S.
Hartland	Arrowhead H. S.	Guc, Gwen M.
Hartland	Arrowhead H. S.	Hall, Samuel J.
Hartland	Arrowhead H. S.	McLaughlin, Caden P.
Hartland	Arrowhead H. S.	Morris, Aedan M.
Hartland	Arrowhead H. S.	Revelle, Grant H.
Menomonee Falls	Menomonee Falls H. S.	Suthan, Nishanth
Mukwonago	Mukwonago H. S.	Jellish, Rayna
Muskego	Muskego H. S.	Petersen, Keira S.
Muskego	Muskego H. S.	Souvannarath, Anthony T.
New Berlin	Eisenhower H. S.	Jebe, Alexander L.
New Berlin	Eisenhower H. S.	Joshi, Isha N.
New Berlin	Eisenhower H. S.	Kiran, Dhakshesh
New Berlin	Eisenhower H. S.	Li, Sylvia
Pewaukee	Pewaukee H. S.	Adams, Brenden X.
Pewaukee	Pewaukee H. S.	Chabot, Madeleine E.
Pewaukee	Pewaukee H. S.	Pothi, Anubhuti S.
Pewaukee	Pewaukee H. S.	Reis, Emily
Pewaukee	Pewaukee H. S.	Tareen, Muaz F.
Sussex	Hamilton H. S.	Carlson, Brody D.
Sussex	Hamilton H. S.	Deepak, Disha L.
Sussex	Hamilton H. S.	Sagna, Zara Y.
Waukesha	Catholic Memorial H. S.	Hendrickson, Maria
Waukesha	Catholic Memorial H. S.	Neumann, Alyssa
Waukesha	Catholic Memorial H. S.	Sisk, Margaret
Waukesha	Waukesha South H. S.	Windisch, Jack M.
Waukesha	Waukesha West H. S.	Liu, Derek
Oconomowoc	Oconomowoc H. S.	Kabara, Harrison
Oconomowoc	Oconomowoc H. S.	Loften, Lillian

Established in 1955, National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. NMSC is exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and contributions to NMSC are tax deductible by the donor. NMSC conducts the National Merit Scholarship Program, an annual academic competition for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships. 

Since its founding, NMSC has recognized more than 3.6 million students and provided some 490,000 scholarships worth over $1.9 billion. The honors awarded by NMSC to exceptionally able students are viewed as definitive marks of excellence. Recipients of Merit Scholarship awards, Achievement Scholarship awards, and corporate-sponsored Special Scholarships have increased the nation's respect for intellectual accomplishments and have contributed significantly to its talent pool of future leaders.