Deer Park High School senior Joseph Reina has been named a Semifinalist in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program, while fellow seniors Vincent Cacciola, Kimberly Cho and Nobin Nath have earned recognition as Commended Students.

The four students distinguished themselves through their performance on the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, placing among approximately 50,000 of the highest-scoring students who entered the 2027 competition.

Reina is among more than 16,000 Semifinalists nationwide, representing approximately the top 1% of high school seniors in each state. Semifinalists may continue in the competition by completing the application process to advance to Finalist standing. Approximately 6,700 students are expected to receive National Merit Scholarships totaling nearly $24 million.

Cacciola, Cho and Nath are among approximately 34,000 Commended Students nationwide recognized for exceptional academic promise. Although Commended Students do not advance in the scholarship competition, their scores placed them among the program’s top-performing entrants nationwide.