NEW ROCHELLE, NY (September 30, 2025) — Iona Preparatory School has added five students to its legacy of over 200 National Merit and College Board program awardees, continuing a tradition of recognizing at least five students annually for the past three decades. This year, one senior was named a National Merit Semifinalist, and four others earned Commended Student status in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program.
David Takaki, a senior, achieved a perfect 1520 score on the Preliminary SAT (PSAT), securing his place among the 16,000 Semifinalists nationwide. Takaki advances to the next phase of the competition, with Finalists to be announced in February 2026 and scholarship recipients selected in March 2026. If named a Finalist, Takaki would follow in the footsteps of John Curry from the Class of 2025, who earned the distinction last spring.
Joining Takaki, seniors Michael Drummey, Ziyu Liu, Gavin Nugent, and Matthew Zimmerman were named Commended Students, part of the 34,000 recognized nationwide. Drummey, Liu, and Nugent are graduates of Iona Preparatory Lower School. They join a strong tradition of Commended Students at Iona Prep, including Michael Messina, Allen Paul, and Rohan Ramdhani from the previous year and 11 others over the past five years.
Iona Prep’s consistent performance in the National Merit Scholarship Program underscores its commitment to academic excellence. The school congratulated its 2027 National Merit scholars, as noted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.