Columbus Academy seniors Mircea Butnariu, Graham Johnson, Jennifer Lee, Harry Liu, Audrey Lu, Arnav Nawani, Emma Stark, Clara Stevens, Ethan Thompson, Hansheng Xu and Lucas Xue were announced today as Semifinalists in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
Representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, they were among our state’s highest-scoring students on the 2023 PSAT exam and have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,780 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring.
We invite you to learn more about this year’s National Merit Semifinalists!
Mircea Butnariu, son of Daniel and Madalina Butnariu of Upper Arlington
What are the academic classes you enjoy most at Academy?
My favorite classes are math, history and physics.
What kinds of things are you involved in, both here at CA and outside of the school?
At CA I lead several clubs and am a captain for the varsity swim team. Outside of CA I volunteer at food banks. I also like spending time with my friends and watching sports.
What are you interested in studying at college?
I am interested in studying business and engineering in college.
Graham Johnson, son of Kent Johnson and Gillian Thomson of Bexley
What are the academic classes you enjoy most at Academy?
I enjoy my Latin and history/economics classes the most here at Academy.
What kinds of things are you involved in, both here at CA and outside of the school?
I am a team captain and center back in soccer and FO/D-Mid in lacrosse. Also, I am co-president of the school’s Investment Club, and I enjoy cooking.
What are you interested in studying at college?
I would most like to study finance and to a lesser degree physics/math.
Jennifer Lee, daughter of David Lee and Grace Huang of New Albany
What are the academic classes you enjoy most at Academy?
My favorite academic classes have been computer science, economics and psychology.
What kinds of things are you involved in, both here at CA and outside of the school?
I am involved in Model UN and tennis, and outside of school I love playing piano and writing poetry.
What are you interested in studying at college?
I am currently interested in studying biomedical engineering in college.
Harry Liu, son of Hongwei Liu and Lei Chen of Plain City
What are the academic classes you enjoy most at Academy?
My favorites are honors physics, computer science, economics and English.
What kinds of things are you involved in, both here at CA and outside of the school?
I play soccer and the viola, and I participate in the school’s Investment Club and EAST affinity group.
What are you interested in studying at college?
I plan to study economics.
Audrey Lu, daughter of Bo Lu and Cindy Xu of Dublin
What are the academic classes you enjoy most at Academy?
It’s a tough choice, but the math and computer science curriculums are probably my favorites. The different topics in English have been very interesting, too!
What kinds of things are you involved in, both here at CA and outside of the school?
I founded a club called ActiveMinds that focuses on health and informatics, I’m a member of the tennis team, and I participate in the EAST affinity group and Math Club. Outside of school I enjoy reading, trying (and failing) to cook, and spending time with friends and family.
What are you interested in studying at college?
I’ll definitely continue my exploration in STEM in college.
Arnav Nawani, son of Prakash and Sonali Nawani of New Albany
What are the academic classes you enjoy most at Academy?
My favorite classes have been honors physics, honors calculus and tragedy literature.
What kinds of things are you involved in, both here at CA and outside of the school?
I'm the VP of Service Board, and I also do theatre, dance and robotics in addition to collecting and donating books.
What are you interested in studying at college?
I'm interested in studying engineering and theatre!
Emma Stark, daughter of Greg and Amy Stark of Gahanna
What are the academic classes you enjoy most at Academy?
The academic classes I have enjoyed the most at Academy are Toni Morrison honors English and honors United States history.
What kinds of things are you involved in, both here at CA and outside of the school?
At CA I play trumpet in the jazz band, co-lead mock trial and play varsity girls soccer. Outside of CA I play piano and do graphic design projects.
What are you interested in studying at college?
I am undecided in what I will be studying at college.
Clara Stevens, daughter of Jason and Kristin Stevens of Gahanna
What are the academic classes you enjoy most at Academy?
In general I love history and science, but my favorite was Dr. Bundy’s honors United States history class last year.
What kinds of things are you involved in, both here at CA and outside of the school?
I’m a team captain for cross country, swimming and track during the school year. Outside of school I’m a governor of Civic Leaders of America and volunteer with Special Olympics.
What are you interested in studying at college?
In college I hope to study political science and international law.
Ethan Thompson, son of Matt and Jana Thompson of Westerville
What are the academic classes you enjoy most at Academy?
Math and science classes are my favorites at Academy. At the moment, my favorite class is chemistry.
What kinds of things are you involved in, both here at CA and outside of the school?
I play year-round soccer, cook, draw and ski.
What are you interested in studying at college?
I am interested in studying engineering or medicine in college.
Hansheng Xu, son of Dong Xu and Xuejing Hao of Dublin
What are the academic classes you enjoy most at Academy?
This year all my classes have been very enjoyable with some examples being multivariable calculus with Dr. Linder and “English: Transcendentalism” with Ms. Magovern. For me, it's most enjoyable when a class offers you information or perspectives that are readily applicable to your life while also making you think.
What kinds of things are you involved in, both here at CA and outside of the school?
I’m involved in Student Council, the speech and debate team, EAST affinity group, orchestra, soccer and Science Olympiad.
What are you interested in studying at college?
I plan to study economics.
Lucas Xue, son of Mark Xue and Lori Yang of Dublin
What are the academic classes you enjoy most at Academy?
I have enjoyed honors physics, psychology and statistics at Academy.
What kinds of things are you involved in, both here at CA and outside of the school?
I am a co-captain on the tennis team, and I helped run the CA youth tennis organization over the summer. Outside of school, I enjoy practicing yo-yo tricks.
What are you interested in studying at college?
In college I am interested in studying engineering.