Four Northwest ISD seniors named National Merit Finalists

Top row (L-R): Dawson Barthelemy, Harper Campbell - Bottom row (L-R): Derek Eisenhour, Barrett Fickle

Four Northwest ISD seniors have been recognized as finalists in the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Competition. These academically talented high school seniors, representing all four NISD high schools, have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring.

Northwest ISD National Merit Finalists
Dawson Barthelemy, Northwest High School
Harper Campbell, Steele Early College High School
Derek Eisenhour, Eaton High School
Barrett Fickle, Byron Nelson High School

Over 1.3 million students in about 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, included the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state was proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official submitted a detailed scholarship application, in which they provided information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A Semifinalist 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.

National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from the Finalists. National Merit Scholarship winners of 2026 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.