TEMPLE, Texas — Temple High School senior Aryan Guleria has been recognized as a Semifinalist in the 72nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Guleria is one of just more than 16,000 Semifinalists announced by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) on Tuesday (September 8).
According to the NMSC, more than 1.2 million juniors in about 20,000 high schools entered the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which serves as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. That puts Guleria in very select company among high school seniors across the country.
“It is great for me, and I am proud of myself, but I am also really happy for my parents because I wanted to make them proud of me,” Guleria said. “I was excited to find out, but I think my mom was even more excited. I am ready to get started on the application and essays that are the next step in this process.”
Guleria participates in the International Baccalaureate Diploma program and takes advanced placement courses at Temple High School. He is a member of the Temple High School orchestra and competes in UIL Academics. Away from class, Guleria likes to work on engineering projects and recently built a drone. He also provides SAT Prep tutoring for classmates and other high school students.
“Aryan is an exceptional student. His hard work and dedication towards academics are paying off,” said Dr. Jason Mayo, principal of Temple High School. “I am proud of him and look forward to seeing all that he accomplishes now and in the future.”
“I have always been impressed with Aryan’s intellect, his diligence, and his hard work, but he is also truly one of the kindest students we have,” added Kaleigh Verett, IB Diploma Coordinator and Advanced Academics Coordinator at Temple High School added. “I love to see him succeed. Overall, he is just impressive, both in class and out. To watch him over the last couple of years and see how he has grown and how he interacts with his peers, and see how he is respected, I am so happy for him to receive this honor and I feel that he is incredibly deserving.”
To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. Semifinalists must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.
“Getting to present Aryan with his National Merit Scholar Semifinalist letter was an opportunity I may never experience again, but I’m glad I got to be a part of it,” Allison Medrano, lead counselor at Temple High School, said. “Aryan is as genuine as they come. He’s a hardworking, dedicated, and selfless individual. He is polite and studious, but above all, he’s kind. Getting to be a part of the educational success of students is the most rewarding part of this career, and the opportunity to celebrate an accomplishment of this nature is the icing on the cake. Aryan is going to do great things, and I cannot wait to sit back and see what he will accomplish.”
More than 15,000 of the Semifinalists are expected to advance to the Finalist level and will be notified in February. The Finalists will compete for about 6,700 National Merit Scholarships worth approximately $24 million. 2027 National Merit Scholarship winners will be notified between April of July of 2027.