Photos courtesy of Steven Fraser at GCHS
Christopher Holder and Alvinh Nguyen were selected as the 2026 National Merit Finalists for Gadsden City High School.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition that recognizes and rewards students for their hard work, according to the NMF Guide.
The goals of the program are to:
Honor talented students and encourage them to pursue challenging college programs.
Connect donors to participants.
Promote a deeper respect for learning.
Encourage academic excellence at all levels.
More than 1.3 million students, across nearly 20,000 high schools, enter the competition each year, according to NMF. Only about 7,590 students receive scholarships, which total around $33 million, it said.
For more information about the program, visit 2026 National Merit Finalists.
