Gabriel Wright PROVIDED

Nine students from Lee County, two from Cape Coral schools, make up the 1% of all high school seniors selected as semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.

The nine students include Gabriel Wright from Cape Coral High School; Tyler Feichthaler from Oasis High School; Yamicel Bermudez from Lehigh Senior High School; Advaith Menon, Jakob Musich, Jaansi Parsa from Dunbar High School; John Stamatopoulos from Fort Myers High School; and Patrick R. Dendis and Stephen D. Zell, both of Bishop Verot High School.

There were 1.3 million high school juniors entered into the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT – National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Those selected as a semifinalist had the highest scoring entrants in each state.

In order to become a finalist, semifinalists and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes the student’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstration of leadership abilities, employment, honors, endorsements and an essay. Out of the approximately 16,000 semifinalists nationwide, 7,140 National Merit Scholarships will be awarded worth $28 million.

“It is very exciting,” Wright said of being named a semifinalist. “I have been looking forward to this for a long time.”

Tyler Feichthaler PROVIDED

When Wright applied for the IB program at Cape Coral High School, the staff was blown away and knew he was going to be an exceptional student, as he had a score of 1,260 on his SAT as a 7th grade student.

The student spent months of studying and getting ready for the test, which he is glad paid off.

“I had a review book that I would go over almost every day for a few months. I did practice tests to see where I needed to focus and that is how I got ready,” Wright said.

Although he did not think the test was too hard, the biggest challenge was the length of the test and number of questions he had to answer in a short amount of time.

“I had to go through it pretty quickly and that was the hardest part,” Wright said.

Cape High Principal Ryan Jackson said the school is proud of Wright for his accomplishment.

“He is representing Cape Coral High School – a standout Seahawk,” he said.

Jackson said Wright is a model student and shines every day for Cape High.

He said making it as one of the six Semifinalist in the county is a huge deal.

“We are more proud of him and his accomplishments. Sure, it looks great for Cape Coral High School, but he had to do all of the work. He is very capable, and we are excited to see what he has in store for the future,” Jackson said.

After graduating from high school, Wright said he wants to eventually be a psychiatrist, a field he became interested in his sophomore year when he took a psychology class. Ideally, he hopes to attend Stanford University, with the University of Florida as another option.

“It’s a profession I felt I could really be excellent at,” he said.

The accomplishment is also felt immensely by the Feichthaler family.

“Tyler has always presented himself with quiet confidence. Attaining this level of achievement is undoubtedly a harbinger of the success he will bring to international diplomacy in his future career,” his dad, Eric Feichthaler, said.

Tyler’s mother, Mary, said she was very excited by all his accomplishments in high school both in and out of the classroom.

“It is wonderful that he is receiving recognition for this major accomplishment,” she said.

Tyler said it means the world to him that he has been named a semifinalist.

“It was incredibly gratifying to see all of my hard work pay off,” he said.

To get prepared, he did many practice tests and answered sample questions, focusing on the trickiest questions first.

Once Tyler graduates from high school he plans to attend a college with a strong international relations department, so he can become a diplomat.

“I’m not sure what school I want to attend, but Harvard seems pretty good,” he said.

Another Lee County student who set a goal of being a National Merit Finalist his senior year was among the six students.

“I really worked for this,” Bermudez said. “I remember spending weeks in my room studying and then studying some more. I heard about the opportunity in middle school. I really have to do this and have to set myself apart from the rest of my class.”

He earned a 1490 on his PSAT, 32 on ACT and 1470 on his SAT.

Bermudez said he has applied to the University of Chicago where he wants to study biophysics and become a sports medicine doctor. He said he became interested in sports two or three years ago, which grew his interest of how to help athletes through injuries, recovery and becoming a better athlete.

“It’s a good opportunity and usage of my time to help out athletes to do what I want to do,” Bermudez said.

Lehigh Senior High School Cambridge Coordinator Dawn Cioffoletti said Bermudez made the goal to become a finalist his freshman year.

“Two weeks ago, we all heard him up and down the hallway asking if the results had been released yet,” she said. “I have seen a lot of students over the last 12 years say they were going to meet that status. I have never seen one that continuously worked towards it all four years. We are just as proud and amazed by those test scores and so excited for him.”

Cioffoletti said he is one of their most well-rounded students – from academics to athletics and after school programs.

“He has volunteered his time to assist with the ACT and SAT math portion. Everyone in our program knows who he is and considers him a friend,” she said. “He will be graduating high school with a Cambridge diploma with distinction.”