Thomas Shelton ’24 is one of 16,000 semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship Program in recognition of his outstanding academic promise as a result of his PSAT/NMSQT score.  

He is one of 24 Montgomery County independent school students to earn the honor. 

From Landon, seniors Nicolas Alway Roza, Zirui Chen, Dylan Furbay, Junyuan Gao, Cooper Gleason, Seamus McNamara, Dhruv Narang, Nimai Patel, Nathaniel Poulin, Neel Singh, and Caleb Wade were named National Merit Scholarship Program Commended Students. 

Shelton will find out if he is a finalist for the program in February 2024, and if selected, he could receive a scholarship for his undergraduate education.  

“Thomas is a truly special student in every aspect of studentship and work product,” said Upper School History Teacher Sam Tyler. “He cares deeply about learning and about facilitating the learning of his peers. He prepares well, thinks deeply and has an outstanding mind for philosophy.”  

Shelton, whose interests include designing and creating, said he plans to major in engineering. 

“Thomas is an exceptional student in all aspects, especially when it comes to academic excellence. He was the most engaged, curious, helpful student in my honors physics class,” Upper School Science Teacher Bryan Calloway, who is Shelton's adviser, said. “He understands how to ask probing questions to seek a deeper understanding.”   

Landon students are consistently recognized by the College Board for their academic excellence as National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalists. Recent semifinalists include Lawerence Li ’23, Kyle Radimer '21, and Drew Curran ’20 and Alec Mearns ’20.