13 San Diego Area Students Named National Merit Scholarships Winners

SAN DIEGO, CA — Thirteen high school students in San Diego County received corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship awards, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced Wednesday.

The San Diego area winners were among approximately 770 high school seniors nationally who won awards financed by about 94 corporations, company foundations, and other business organizations. Finalists are either children of employees, residents of the communities served by the companies, or students who plan to pursue college majors or careers the companies wish to encourage.

The awards range from $1,000 to $10,000 per year, and most are renewable for up to four years at an accredited college or university.

The San Diego area winners include:

• Elizabeth Zhiying Jin, The Bishop's School, La Jolla
  • Probable career field: Patent Law
  • Jin was awarded the National Merit Zoetis Inc. Scholarship.
• Alexander Jiang, Del Norte High School, San Diego
  • Probable career field: Applied Mathematics
  • Jiang was awarded the National Merit Northrop Grumman Scholarship.
• Mina E. Kim, Scripps Ranch High School, San Diego
  • Probable career field: Psychology
  • Kim was awarded the National Merit Pfizer Inc. Scholarship.
• Elliott W. Liu, Torrey Pines High School, San Diego
  • Probable career field: Mathematics
  • Liu was awarded the National Merit Novartis Scholarship.
• Daniel Liang Lu, Westview High School, San Diego
  • Probable career field: Computer Science
  • Lu was awarded the National Merit Pfizer Inc. Scholarship.
• Vivian Z. Ni, Del Norte High School, San Diego
  • Probable career field: Computer Engineering
  • Ni was awarded the National Merit Pfizer Inc. Scholarship.
• David Antony Samy, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego
  • Probable career field: Entrepreneurship
  • Samy was awarded the National Merit Novartis Scholarship.
• Jack M. Shi, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego
  • Probable career field: Electrical Engineering
  • Shi was awarded the National Merit ViaSat Scholarship.
• Claudia Summers, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego
  • Probable career field: Law
  • Summers was awarded the National Merit Pfizer Inc. Scholarship.
• Romeo Nataniel Velarde-Alvarez, St. Augustine High School, San Diego
  • Probable career field: Chemical Engineering
  • Velarde-Alvarez was awarded the National Merit Emerson Electric Co. Scholarship.
• Nathan Xie, Torrey Pines High School, San Diego
  • Probable career field: Mathematics
  • Xie was awarded the National Merit Northrop Grumman Scholarship.
• Jessica Zhang, Cathedral Catholic High School, San Diego
  • Probable career field: Aerospace Engineering
  • Zhang was awarded the National Merit Johnson & Johnson Scholarship.
• Cole R. Lycett, San Marcos High School, San Marcos
  • Probable career field: Computer Programming
  • Lycett was awarded the National Merit Pfizer Inc. Scholarship.

Scholars were selected from students who advanced to the finalist level in the National Merit Scholarship competition and met criteria of their scholarship sponsors.

In September 2023, more than 16,000 semifinalists were selected on the basis of their PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test scores, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. To advance to the finalist round, semifinalists needed to have an outstanding academic record, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirmed their qualifying test performance.

By the conclusion of the 2024 competition, more than 6,870 finalists will have been selected to receive scholarships totaling nearly $26 million, according to the organization.