More than 15,000 high school seniors were named National Merit Scholarship finalists for 2026, with juniors having entered the 2025 National Merit program by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which serves as the initial screen of program entrants. Two of those students, Timothy Campbell and Kennedy Leary, will graduate on June 4 from West Springfield High School.
Campbell and Leary credit their achievements to rigorous academics, leadership opportunities, and a supportive school community within Fairfax County Public Schools. Campbell said his academic success is largely due to his work ethic. “When you’re taking difficult classes and balancing them on top of sports and extracurricular activities, you have to stay focused all the time on the goals you have for yourself,” he said. “It requires a lot of self-discipline.”
Campbell participated in cross country and indoor and outdoor track teams while also playing trumpet and serving as an officer in several student organizations including the Black Student Union, National Honor Society, and Science Olympiad team. He described West Springfield’s community as “super supportive and welcoming,” adding that teachers and administrators at the school “want you to succeed.” Next year he will attend Columbia University majoring in astrophysics with aspirations of working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory studying exoplanets. Campbell said West Springfield has helped him “embrace my most authentic version of myself,” emphasizing the importance of learning how to be oneself during adolescence.
Leary echoed similar sentiments about her experience at West Springfield High School. She highlighted meeting diverse individuals involved in various extracurriculars: “There are so many unique individuals from different backgrounds, with different beliefs… It is so nice to have different groups of people you can turn to whenever you need help with a variety of issues.” In addition to running cross country all four years, she played soccer one year and was active in organizations such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes, DECA, and Student Government Association.
Leary attributed her academic drive both to her faith—“I believe having faith in something can help drive you to pursue your best”—and her parents’ example regarding hard work. She also credited teachers for teaching her that academic motivation involves not only persistent effort but also self-care when facing challenges. Next year she plans to attend the University of Virginia with interests in health sciences.
