A Trenton resident and student of the prestigious Gatton Academy at Western Kentucky University has been named a National Merit Semifinalist.
According to WKU, 21 seniors from the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky have been chosen as semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship program—since the academy’s inception in 2007, 291 students have been selected for the honor.
Now, Bryan Michael Zimmerman of Trenton and Todd County Center High School joins the list, emerging from the more than 1.3 million juniors that entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship program by taking the 2024 preliminary SAT qualifying test.
From this list comes the nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, and includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.
Of the approximately 16,000sSemifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the finalist level. To become a finalist, a semifinalist and their school must submit a detailed scholarship application, providing information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities and more.