Meet the Nine National Merit Finalists at Great Hearts
Great Hearts Academies April 16, 2025 -
Great Hearts Arizona is excited to announce that nine of our seniors have been named National Merit Finalists. These high-achieving seniors earned a high score on the PSAT and met other program requirements, placing them among approximately 15,000 of the most academically promising students in the nation.
According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation website, “Only Finalists will be considered for the National Merit Scholarships. Approximately half of the Finalists will be Merit Scholarship winners (Merit Scholar awardees). Winners are chosen on the basis of their abilities, skills, and accomplishments… Scholarship recipients are the candidates judged to have the greatest potential for success in rigorous college studies and beyond.”
Let’s meet these incredible students who are about to embark on their collegiate journey.
McCahey “Mac” Fuerst, senior, Arete Prep
Fuerst is currently deciding between the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Arizona, where he hopes to earn a degree in computer science. He is waiting for final scholarship offers before choosing the best option. During his time at Arete Prep, he has run cross‑country, played soccer and baseball, and served as a school mentor. A second‑degree black belt, he spends his free time working out, coding, and reading.
Robyn Teske, Amelia Lockery, Joshua Tong, and Andrew Nguyen, seniors, Chandler Prep
Robyn Teske will attend Arizona Christian University to pursue a degree in secondary education with an emphasis in English literature. Enrolled at Chandler Prep since seventh grade, she has been active in Art Guild, yearbook, choir, and the mentoring program.
Amelia Lockery has attended Chandler Prep since middle school. She swims, plays softball, and sings in the Schola Cantorum and a cappella choirs. Her leadership roles include Titan Leadership Council, peer tutoring, the mentoring program, and house captain. Lockery plans to major in mechanical engineering or economics after graduation.
Joshua Tong has been with Great Hearts since kindergarten at Archway Chandler. At Chandler Prep he has taken part in basketball, track and field, robotics, the mentoring program, peer tutoring, and Archway tutoring. Tong plans to major in electrical or computer engineering.
Andrew Nguyen will attend Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University and major in biochemistry. A Great Hearts student since kindergarten at Archway Chandler, he participates in the mentoring program, plays in the orchestra, serves as a peer tutor, and is on the yearbook staff.
Zander Luo, senior, North Phoenix Prep
An accomplished pianist, avid hiker, and fisherman, Luo plans to become an aerospace engineer, and will attend Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University. A North Phoenix student since kindergarten, he spent all four years of high school on the Senate’s Spirit Committee, competed on the track and field and soccer teams, and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore and the Student Service Organization.
Gage Belt, senior, Scottsdale Prep
Belt intends to enroll in the STEM‑to‑MBA program at the University of Alabama, majoring in electrical engineering. He hopes to blend technical expertise with business leadership for a career in the space industry. A Scottsdale Prepstudent since fifth grade, Belt cites Logic and Computation as his favorite class because Mr. Redmond pushes him to think critically and solve complex problems. Outside school, he plays hockey, basketball, and golf.
Viren Ramakrishna, senior, Scottsdale Prep
Ramakrishna will attend Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, majoring in biophysics with a minor in philosophy. He plans to pursue medical school and become an orthopedic surgeon. At Scottsdale Prep since fifth grade, his favorite class is Humane Letters, where he learned to think critically while debating philosophers such as René Descartes and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. He also competes on the track and field and boys’ cross‑country teams.
McKenzie Perrault, senior, Veritas Prep
Perrault has signed to play beach volleyball at Concordia University Irvine in California, where she plans to major in finance or business. In addition to excelling academically and athletically, she serves as a house consul, helping create activities that foster school spirit and inclusion within the student body.
Congratulations to these amazing Great Hearts scholars.
Do you have a story or know of one that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts? Please contact jmoore@greatheartsamerica.org.
Submit a student application to a Great Hearts Academy by visiting: https://www.greatheartsamerica.org/enroll/.