The 2025 National Merit Scholarship competition recognized 16,000 semifinalists in Sept. 2024. Now, that pool of students has been narrowed down to nearly 15,000 finalists, with one being LHS’s very own Charisse Cueto. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) facilitates the competition, which recognizes students who have performed exceptionally well on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
Cueto, a senior, excitedly recalled, “I was happy when I heard I was a finalist. I was even more excited than I was when I became a semifinalist because I’ve gone a step further.” Cueto further shared that she is grateful for this recognition: “It’s such an honor to be a finalist.” Apart from school, Cueto enjoys tutoring, solving puzzles, reading, writing, and coding.
Cueto takes her academics very seriously; her work ethic and dedication demonstrate why she has made it so far in this competition. Computers and applied mathematics teacher Jeff Bernhardt, who taught Cueto for two years, attested to her dedication: “Charisse has always been a top student for two simple reasons: She is exceptionally bright and quickly attains deep understanding of complex topics, she has an exceptional work ethic, and she is a proactive learner who never gives up.” When asked about her influence on him as an educator, Bernhardt responded, “Exceptional students are easy to recognize. As teachers, when these students come along, we do our best to challenge them while letting them find their own way.” Cueto had taken Programming and App Design with Bernhardt in grade 10 and AP Computer Science A in grade 11. Bernhardt has also gotten to know Cueto through her involvement in the Drone Soccer club, which he advises.
Senior Simon Yu could not be happier for Cueto’s accomplishment: “Knowing Charisse is an individual who is extremely well versed in a multitude of subjects, it would have surprised me if she did not get this achievement. Seeing the work she has executed in and out of her classes, I know that Charisse is a driven person who strives for the best.” Yu and Cueto are both in the Mathletes club and have taken many courses together during their four years at LHS, including current courses AP Calculus BC and AP Physics 2. Speaking to their time together in Mathletes, Yu shared that Cueto has been an “unofficial rival” who has consistently challenged and pushed him to work harder in competitions. But he more fondly recollected the time they both qualified to go to Penn State University and competed at Mathletes Nationals. Yu reminisced about the first time he and Charisse took part in something not math-related: a game of UNO. “With her hilarious comments and quirky nicknames, I saw Charisse as a person beyond her academic abilities. The bus trips to and from Penn State were some of my favorite high school memories,” recalled Yu.
At this stage of the competition, there are no other necessary steps Cueto must take. The NSMC only awards scholarships to half of qualifying finalists, and recipients will be notified in March. Regardless of outcome, the distinguished honor of being a National Merit Finalist secures Cueto an indelible recognition for her academic prowess.
