Rowan McKenna, Hood River Valley High School senior
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HOOD RIVER — Hood River County School District (HRCSD) and Hood River Valley High School (HRVHS) announce that Rowan McKenna, a senior at HRVHS, has been recognized as a Semifinalist in the prestigious 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program.
McKenna is one of more than 16,000 academically talented high school seniors nationwide who earned this distinction, representing less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors. As a Semifinalist, McKenna has the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring.
McKenna, the child of Ian and Aspen McKenna, maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA and has accumulated an impressive list of academic awards and honors, including:
AP Scholar with Distinction Award
College Board National Recognition Program Award and the College Board National Rural and Small Town Program Award
AP US History Student of the Year
Leadership Scholar of the Month
National Honor Society Member
2025 Scholastic Awards Silver Key and Honorable Mention for poetry
Beyond the classroom, McKenna is a dedicated leader and community advocate.
McKenna is the Leader and Founder of the Gorge Youth Movement (@gorgeyouthmovement), an organization founded "with the goal of mobilizing peers to action and empowering them to use their voices to advocate for change."
McKenna also serves as an Intern at Senator Wyden's Portland Office from September 2025 to December 2025.
An accomplished athlete, McKenna participates in United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) Alpine Ski Racing and is a Varsity Lacrosse player at HRVHS, serving as Captain for the 2026 season.
To advance to the Finalist level, McKenna must fulfill several requirements, including submitting a detailed scholarship application, maintaining an outstanding academic record, being endorsed and recommended by a high school official, writing an essay, and confirming their qualifying test performance with SAT or ACT scores. About 95% of Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship. Finalists will be notified of this designation in February.
Hood River County School District and Hood River Valley High School extend their sincere congratulations to McKenna for this outstanding achievement and wish them the best as they continue through the scholarship competition.
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