Bardstown High School senior Michelle Hundley has been named a 2025 National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist, joining more than 16,000 students recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Selected from a pool of more than 1.3 million juniors across approximately 21,000 U.S. high schools, Hundley represents the top academic achievers in the nation, making her one of less than 1% of high school seniors to earn this prestigious recognition.
The journey to becoming a semi-finalist began with the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screening process. As a semi-finalist, Hundley will have the opportunity to advance to the finalist level and compete for some 6,870 National Merit Scholarships, collectively worth more than $28 million, to be awarded next spring. To reach the finalist stage, Hundley must fulfill several requirements, including submitting a detailed scholarship application, maintaining an outstanding academic record, writing an essay, earning qualifying SAT or ACT scores, and being endorsed by a high school official.
Hundley’s accomplishments extend beyond academics. She is involved in numerous extracurricular activities, including the Bardstown High School marching band and pep band, Speech and Debate team, Technology Student Association (TSA), theater/drama, and Girl Scouts. She has earned recognition at several TSA and Speech and Debate competitions, including third place in Children’s Story at the 2023 TSA National Conference, 10th place in the same event in 2022, and 10th place in Manufacturing Prototype at the 2024 conference. She was also selected for the Campbellsville Honors Band for two consecutive years and attended the Governor’s School for the Arts for drama this past summer.
Hundley has pursued a rigorous academic path throughout high school, completing six Advanced Placement courses: AP U.S. Government and Politics, AP U.S. History, AP Chemistry, AP English Language and Composition, AP Precalculus, and AP Spanish IV. She also earned dual credit for Engineering 2 through Elizabethtown Community and Technical College. This year, she is taking three more AP courses—AP Psychology, AP Calculus AB, and AP Physics 1—as well as a dual credit course, WRD 110, through the University of Kentucky.
The National Merit Scholarship Program, established in 1955, is one of the nation’s most esteemed academic competitions, recognizing and rewarding scholastic excellence. About 95% of semi-finalists are expected to attain finalist status, with approximately half of the finalists earning the Merit Scholar title.
Bardstown High School congratulates Michelle Hundley on this extraordinary accomplishment and wishes her the best in the next stages of the competition.
