4 Palo Alto Students Receive 2023 Nat'l Merit Scholarship

PALO ALTO, CA — Four Palo Alto students received corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarships this year, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced Wednesday.

The local winners are:

• Vedant S. Gupta (Palo Alto)
  
  • School: Palo Alto High School
  • Probable career field: Biology

• Janet J. Meng (Palo Alto)
  • School: Castilleja School, Palo Alto
  • Probable career field: Computer Science

• Isaac Oh (Palo Alto)
  
  • School: Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto
  • Probable career field: Academia

• Katherine E. Rueff (Palo Alto)
  
  • School: Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto
  • Probable career field: Activism

Wednesday's scholarship winners were the first group of recipients announced as part of the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

"Corporate sponsors provide National Merit Scholarships for Finalists who are children of their employees, who are residents of communities the company serves, or who plan to pursue college majors or careers the sponsor wishes to encourage," the organization said in a news release.

Some of the scholarships provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000. Others provide annual stipends ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 per year. The scholarships may be used at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university.

Nationwide, 840 high school seniors received merit scholarships financed by some 107 corporations, company foundations, and other business organizations.

In 2023, there are 7,250 scholarships worth nearly $28 million being awarded in multiple rounds including scholarships underwritten by National Merit's own funds and by approximately 340 business organizations, colleges and universities.

Students entered the competition as juniors by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen for entrants.