(photo back row from left) Dr. David Meinschein, EdD., MISD Superintendent, and Tony Jarvis, MHS principal, pictured with 2026 Murray High School National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists (front row from left) Brandon Daughaday, Selvam Antony, Antasia Arkova, and Ethan Peng.
Antony, Arkova, Daughaday and Peng join the approximate 16,000 Semifinalists names by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring.
Antony is a senior at Murray High School. He is a drum major for the Murray Tiger Band, the captain of the Academic Team, the President of the Beta Club, and the Vice President of Murray Medical Leaders. He enjoys studying science and playing music.
After graduation, Antony hopes to pursue biochemistry at the University of Kentucky, Murray State University, or the University of Michigan.
Selvam is the son of Chitra Arnlsalvi, Solomon Antony
Arkova is an MHS Graduate from the International Space School in Houston, Texas, a two-week NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space School academic learning initiative. Anastasia joins the MHS group of representatives who have represented the only U.S. high school for 22 years. The MHS Speech and Forensics Social Secretary, Anatasia is a varsity member of the MHS Academic Team and the BETA Club. She Plans to pursue either Computational Linguistics or Comparative Literature as her college major
Arkova is the daughter of Alexey Arkov.
Daughaday is president of the Murray High School History Club, Vice President of the MHS Chapter of Educators Rising, and the MHS Multicultural Club public relations director. A participant of MHS Academic Team, Brandon is a LEO, Beta, and Model United Nations club member. Brandon plans to attend Murray State University and pursue and English education at the high school level.
Brandon is the son of Brian Daughaday and Debra Daughaday
Peng s a 2025 Governor’s School for the Arts recipient, a member of ACT 30+ club, three year Varsity Swim team member, and a five-year member of the Murray Tiger Band. Ethan was chosen as a 2025 Drum major, and a member of the MHS Multicultural Club. He is currently undecided on his college choice or his major.
Peng is the son of Xulong Peng and Qiaofeng Zhang.
Over 1.3 million juniors in about 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), 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, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
Tony Jarvis, MHS principal, said he is incredibly proud of Selvam, Anastasia, Brandon, and Ethan. “Being chosen as National Merit Semifinalists is a tremendous honor, and these students are so deserving of this recognition. Their selection comes as no surprise—they are outstanding students who truly embody what it means to be a Murray Tiger. We celebrate their many accomplishments, and this latest achievement is yet another testament to their talent, hard work, and dedication.”
2026 National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join approximately 389,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.