7 STPPS Students Named National Merit Semifinalists

We are proud to announce that seven St. Tammany Parish Public School students have been named 2027 National Merit Semifinalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

These students, who are ranked among the highest performing high school students in the state and the top one percent in the nation, will compete for prestigious National Merit Scholarships later this school year.

The semifinalists are Giancarlo Marsalone, Logan Meaux, and Emma Pebley of Fontainebleau High; and Irene Chen, Ava Jackson, Grant Sanders, and Benjamin Trumbach of Mandeville High.

Giancarlo Marsalone of Fontainebleau High is a National Honor Society member and served as Class President of his junior class at Fontainebleau High last year. He has been a member of the powerlifting team and is in the French National Honor Society. Giancarlo is set on attending Northwestern University to study finance and economics.

Logan Meaux of Fontainebleau High received a 34 on his ACT exam and plans on attending Georgia Tech to major in mechanical engineering. He is on the soccer team, is a member of the French National Honor Society, and the National Honor Society.
 
Emma Pebley of Fontainebleau High is on the robotics team and is a member of Mu Alpha Theta, National Honor Society, and scored a 34 on the ACT exam. She aspires to attend Louisiana Tech University to double major in physics and electrical engineering.

Irene Chen of Mandeville High is the president of the Mu Alpha Theta club and is a member of the Scrub Club which is a program focused on health career exploration. She plans on utilizing her experiences in the Scrub Club for studying pre-med followed by a degree in psychiatry.

Ava Jackson of Mandeville High received a perfect score of 36 on the ACT exam and is the captain of the robotics club, a member of Mu Alpha Theta, and Quiz Bowl. She plans on using her experiences gained from robotics and honors physics to help prepare her for studying mechanical engineering in college.

Grant Sanders from Mandeville High scored a 35 on his ACT exam and is looking forward to attending a college and receiving an internship that will help to best prepare him for wherever his career explorations take him.

Benjamin Trumbach from Mandeville High is on the varsity soccer team, scored a 35 on the ACT, and through his personal interests in cars and automotive tech as well as Project Lead the Way he aspires to excel in his future studies in mechanical engineering in college.