Thursday, October 1, 2026
Seaford High School senior Matthew Kind has been named a finalist in the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Program, placing him among the nation’s top high school students.
The competition recognizes exceptional achievement on the PSAT exam, which students take in their junior year. Each year, the program recognizes about 50,000 students nationwide, including roughly 34,000 Commended Students and 16,000 semifinalists, with nearly all becoming finalists. Scholarships will be announced from April to July, approximately half of the finalists will be Merit Scholarship winners, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
Kind, Seaford High’s valedictorian this year, scored 1510 out of a possible 1520 on the exam. “That qualified me to pursue the next step,” he said of an application process that required support from school administrators and a personal essay.
“I talked about the difference between significance and success,” Kind said when asked about the subject of his essay. “Living a significant life — impacting others rather than just focusing on yourself.”
That idea, he said, has shaped his outlook both in and outside the classroom. “Significance is making an impact on others,” while success is more individualistic, he explained. His guidance counselor, Suzanne Cosenza, said that mindset reflects the type of student Kind has been since he arrived at the high school.
“From the moment I met Matthew in ninth grade, I knew he was someone truly exceptional,” Cosenza said. “While his academic achievements are remarkable, what stands out even more is his character. In my 28 years as a guidance counselor,” she added, “Matthew is among the most genuine, sincere and respectful students I have ever had the privilege of working with.”
Principal Nicole Schnabel echoed that sentiment, describing Kind as a student whose leadership comes from lifting others up. “Matthew is a rare individual who not only does all the right things to lead from the front, but just as powerfully, leads from behind,” Schnabel said. “His leadership is rooted not in a desire for recognition, but in an instinctive understanding that true influence comes from elevating others.”
Beyond academics, Kind has also formed meaningful connections through service and community involvement. Last year he took part in Soaring Valor, a school program that took students and 14 World War II veterans to New Orleans to visit the National World War II Museum, an experience that he said left a lasting impression.
On the trip, Kind was paired with 98-year-old World War II veteran Gabe Grenci, of Babylon. The two bonded quickly, talking throughout the plane ride and the three-day visit. “It was about a three-hour plane ride,” Kind recalled, [but] to me it felt like 10 minutes. It was just talking to him the whole time.”
The connection continued long after the trip ended. Kind said he still speaks regularly with Grenci, and recently attended his 99th birthday. “I still am in constant communication,” said. “I’m still talking to him, texting him each day.”
The experience, he said, reinforced his belief in the importance of learning from others and giving back to the community. “For me, hearing his personal accounts and having the honor to then bring them to others is incredible,” Kind said.
Growing up in the Seaford School District helped shape his success, Kind added, crediting the support of teachers, administrators and classmates. “I think it’s the network and the family they build,” he explained. “They make you feel comfortable. You really have the opportunity to do whatever you want.”
As he prepares to graduate, Kind said he is looking forward to the next chapter of his life while taking time to appreciate his final months of high school. “I’m excited to really take in the last moments here with the friends I grew up with since kindergarten,” he said.
He is currently deciding between two colleges — the University of Richmond and Ohio State — where he plans to pursue a pre-law track and then go on to law school.
His long-term goal is a career as an attorney, and to continue focusing on leadership and service. “One of my major things with pursuing law school and being a lawyer is I want to lead,” Kind said. “I want to lead a team of my own and to serve.”
School administrators agree that commitment to others is what sets him apart. “It has been one of the great privileges of my career to know, and learn from, Matthew Kind,” Schnabel said. “A student who is truly one of a kind.”
