EVANSTON, Ill. — National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) on May 13 announced this year’s National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners.
The 2,500 Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding finalists in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program.
National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.
These scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the finalists and their high schools: the academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT); contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.
This is the second announcement of winners in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program. On April 22, more than 1,000 recipients of corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards were named, and on June 3 and July 13, some 4,100 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners will be announced. By the conclusion of this year’s competition, about 7,600 academic champions will have won National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million.
For more information, visit www.nationalmerit.org.
California winners of National Merit $2,500 Scholarship include the following.
Kyle M. Tsujimoto of Cupertino. Probable career field: Medicine. Monta Vista High School, Cupertino. This award is supported by NMSC’s own funds.
Wren E. Kawamura of La Cañada. Probable career field: Applied mathematics. La Cañada High School, La Cañada Flintridge. This award is supported by NMSC’s own funds.
Ryan J. Kawahara of Los Altos. Probable career field: Media. St. Francis High School, Mountain View. Scholarship underwritten by Sony Electronics Inc., which supports this scholarship as part of its commitment to higher education.
Kylie L. Akiyama of Los Altos Hills. Probable career field: Bioengineering. Los Altos High School, Los Altos. This award is supported by NMSC’s own funds.
Evelyn H. Hasama of Rancho Palos Verdes. Probable career field: Software engineering. Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Rollling Hills Estates. This award is supported by NMSC’s own funds.
Summer M. Hasama of Rancho Palos Verdes. Probable career field: Undecided. Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Rolling Hills Estates. This award is supported by NMSC’s own funds.
Emika G. Saito of Temecula. Probable career field: Biomedical engineering. Great Oak High School, Temecula. This award is supported by NMSC’s own funds.