SEPTEMBER 15, 2025 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kevin Christian, APR, CPRC, Director of Public Relations
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FIVE MARION STUDENTS NAMED
NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS
Prestigious Honors Include College Scholarships
MARION COUNTY – Five Marion County high school seniors in next year’s graduating class have been named semifinalists in the prestigious 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
Less than 1% of high school seniors nationwide even qualify for this program, an annual academic competition for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships that started in 1955.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation operates the program that requires high school students to take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
Each year, more than 1.3 million students enter the competition with only 50,000 qualifying for recognition and just 16,000 reaching the semifinals.
This year’s Marion County semifinalists include:
- Noah Archer, Vanguard High School – son of Bryan and Christina Archer. Formerly attended Evergreen and South Ocala Elementary and Howard Middle Schools. Plans to study aerospace engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University under the U.S. Navy JROTC (Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) program.
- Gabriella Capobianco, West Port High School (now homeschooled) – daughter of Melissa Capobianco
- Patrick Lucaric, Belleview High School – son of Rene’ and Kara Breeher-Lucaric. Patrick moved to Marion County to attend BHS and plans to become an astrophysicist and study at California Institute of Technology.
- Leah McGinley, Forest High School – daughter of Jim McGinley and Lana Kuhn. Formerly attended Madison Street Academy and Osceola Middle Schools. Plans to study math or chemistry at the university level and pursue a career in research.
- Ethan Rubin, Forest High School – son of Randolph Rubin and Donna Melnikas. Formerly attended Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary and Osceola Middle Schools. Plans to pursue an advanced degree in electrical engineering.
These students now compete to become finalists for some 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million to be awarded next spring.
To be named a finalist, students must submit a detailed scholarship application including academic records, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. They must also be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores confirming their earlier performance on the qualifying test.
For more information, contact the National Merit Scholarship Program at www.nationalmerit.org.
Noah Archer
Patrick Lucaric
Leah McGinley
Ethan Rubin
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