WPHS senior Eliana Lieber named 2025 National Merit Semifinalist

When White Plains High School 12th-grader Eliana Lieber learned she had been named a 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalist, she was proud to represent the top 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors – and she expressed her gratitude to everyone who helped her achieve the honor.

Eliana, an aspiring mechanical engineer with a longtime interest in robotics, ascended into the rarefied air of high school academic excellence by scoring a perfect 1520 on the PSAT while juggling a dizzying array of extracurricular activities amid a busy schedule.

“I want to reiterate the support that I've gotten from my communities over the years. White Plains schools, White Plains Library, Girl Scouts, and especially my parents have helped me for my whole life and really made me into the passionate individual I am today,” she said.

“I do what I do because I am interested in it - both the STEM and the humanities - and this interest has been cultivated by learning opportunities that I have created for myself and been gifted from my support network. I've always just wanted to keep learning about the world around me, whether through reading books, talking to experts, or even taking things apart,” Eliana added.

Sole semifinalist from WPHS

She is one of over 16,000 semifinalists nationwide whom the National Merit Scholarship Corp., part of the College Board, recently announced in the 71st annual scholarship program. Eliana is the sole representative of White Plains High School.

"We are so #WPProud of Eliana. She embodies what it means to be a Tiger, a well-rounded student who has taken advantage of the many opportunities available here at WPHS,” Principal Emerly Martinez said.

“Not only does Eliana have an impressive academic record, demonstrated by her success in some of our most rigorous courses, but she also shows a deep commitment to the greater White Plains community through her volunteer work and involvement in numerous extracurricular activities,” he added.

About 95 percent of the semifinalists are expected to become finalists and vie for almost 7,000 scholarships worth about $26 million. About half of the finalists will earn the title of Merit Scholar and win a prestigious scholarship, which may be college-specific, corporate-sponsored or from the National Merit Scholarship Corp.

Asked how it feels to be named a semifinalist, Eliana said simply: “It’s very nice,” adding that with rising college tuition costs, “it wouldn’t hurt that there’s the addition of the scholarship, so it’s a nice accolade to be able to see.”

Before WPHS, Eliana attended Post Road Elementary School and Highlands Middle School, where she displayed an aptitude for rigorous STEM courses and cultivated her interest in engineering and competitive robotics.

“I’m taking our Engineering Design and Development Capstone course and I’m also in the science research program, which I’ve been doing since sophomore year,” she said, referring to the EDD program that integrates math, science and engineering principles in project-based learning.

Background rooted in robots

The challenging program has taken her from school labs to professional research environments. Last summer, she worked in a university lab and is continuing an ambitious project through SUNY-Albany titled “The Use of Cyanobacteria’s Carbon-Concentrating Organelles to Increase Oxygen Yields in Green Algae.”

The project, inspired by a middle school robotics challenge about space survival, explores how algae could help generate oxygen and food for astronauts.

“Robotics is the biggest part of my life,” explained Eliana, a member of a FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team since ninth grade. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) challenges teams to design, build, program and operate small robots for competitions. 

This year, they advanced to regionals in upstate Utica, and Eliana earned an individual award that brought her to the World Championships in Houston, where she traveled with her father during Passover.

Her passion began early.

“In elementary school, we built moving Lego-like models. Then in middle school, the Techno Girls created robots to compete. I basically grew up in that environment,” she said, referring to a Girl Scouts initiative aimed at involving girls in robotics and STEM.

Girl Scout Gold Award in sight

A lifelong member of the Girl Scouts, Eliana recently completed the requirements for her milestone Gold Award project, the equivalent of the male Eagle Scout. As part of the project, she teaches outdoor skills and knife safety to younger scouts. She also serves as national delegate for her Girl Scout council.

Eliana’s commitment to service and leadership also shows through her roles as Youth Group president at Congregation Kol Ami and as an active member of the White Plains Library’s Teen Advisory Board.

Through the Youth Climate Action Fund, she helped secure two $5,000 Bloomberg Foundation grants to promote sustainability, including installing a water bottle filler at the library and creating a seed library for community gardeners.

Ever the entrepreneur, Eliana also runs a dog-sitting business, managing clients and responsibilities around her already-packed schedule.

“It’s a great opportunity to exercise responsibility and talk with clients,” said Eliana, who owns three dogs of her own — Ruby, Rain and Lou.

The young scholar said she spends as many as four hours a day on homework while taking demanding classes in science research, multi-variable calculus, AP Literature, AP Physics and engineering.

Hard for student to say 'no'

As if that is not enough, she also is a member of the STEM, jazz and book clubs, and is the president of the Class of 26 Club. She also is on the stage crew during the musicals season and on the field hockey team during the fall.

And she is taking a lifesaving class to be certified as a lifeguard and somehow still finds time to mentor students at Eastview School and teach them JavaScript.

“It’s very hard for me to say no to doing stuff!” Eliana said, smiling, adding that she organizes her life with digital precision. “I use Google Calendar and Microsoft To-Do to keep everything straight.”

But she mostly expressed her gratitude for her teachers, administrators and the WPHS community at large for helping her realize her dreams.

“I love it here,” she said. “Our school offers so many opportunities. The teachers are amazing and so supportive.”

She also finds inspiration close to home in her family. Her younger brother, Stuart, a sophomore, shares her love for robotics and scouting. “We do a lot of similar stuff -- I just sign up for more things,” she said with a grin.

With college application season in full swing, Eliana is exploring engineering programs across the Northeast, including schools in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and hopes to earn a coveted scholarship.

Through it all, Eliana remains grounded and humble.

“It’s all about what I’ve learned—about community, responsibility and following what you love,” she said.