Meet the Princeton-Bound National Merit Finalist at Scottsdale Prep

Atish Bala, an exceptional senior at Scottsdale Prep, has been named a National Merit Finalist. This high-achieving senior, who was featured earlier in the school year for earning a perfect ACT score, has met some rigorous program requirements for the National Merit Scholarship Program,  placing him 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.”

“Atish has distinguished himself through leadership and involvement on campus, serving as President of the Junior Classical League, earning fifth place at the Arizona Junior Classical League State Convention, participating in Speech and Debate, serving as a peer tutor, and contributing to concert choir, choir council, and theater, most recently starring as Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express,” shared Shannon Coolidge, Bala’s college counselor at Scottsdale Prep.

Bala is preparing to attend Princeton University after graduation, where he will join the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs with aspirations of pursuing a career in diplomacy and international relations.

He applied to Princeton with early action restrictions, meaning he was unable to apply to any other private university at the same time, but the risk paid off. “I managed to get in, which was really nice because that was my dream school… It was really exciting,” explained Bala. “When we were actually applying, I was with Ms. Coolidge, my [college] counselor, who was very helpful throughout the whole process.”

Join Great Hearts in extending a congratulations to to this amazing senior from the class of 2026 at Scottsdale Prep. We look forward to hearing more of the incredible things you will continue to accomplish in the future.

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