29 San Diego Area Students Awarded $2,500 National Merit Scholarships

SAN DIEGO, CA — Twenty-nine high school students in San Diego County were awarded $2,500 National Merit Scholarships, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced Wednesday.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation said that 2,500 high school seniors nationwide were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 finalists.

"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 organization announced. "The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state's percentage of the nation's graduating high school seniors."

• Also see: 13 San Diego Area Students Named National Merit Scholarships Winners

The winners were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors who looked at information submitted by both the finalists and their high schools, including their academic record, school and community activities, test scores, essay, and recommendation from a high school official.

The San Diego area winners include:

Carlsbad

• Shaan N. Bhakta, Pacific Ridge School, Carlsbad

Encinitas

• Ryan M. Quain, La Costa Canyon High School, Carlsbad

Rancho Santa Fe

• Eric J. Chen, The Bishop's School, La Jolla

San Diego

• Bruce J. Bei, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego
• Aaron Combs, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego
• Benjamin Folk, Francis W. Parker School, San Diego
• Katherine Ge, The Bishop's School, La Jolla
• Sara E. Holden, Rancho Bernardo High School, San Diego
• Rohan Juneja, Del Norte High School, San Diego
• Sarah E. Kocian-Rudenberg, Torrey Pines High School, San Diego
• Kavish Kedar Kondap, Francis W. Parker School, San Diego
• Ellie Seohyun Lee, Del Norte High School, San Diego
• Sheridan Liew, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego
• Angel Y. Lu, The Cambridge School, San Diego
• Rachel Y. Lu, The Cambridge School, San Diego
• Ariyan A. Madani, La Jolla High School, La Jolla
• Joshua Martin-Spencer, Cathedral Catholic High School, San Diego
• Preena Maruthavelu, Rancho Bernardo High School, San Diego
• Lucia Y. Moscola, Homeschool
• Hyunseo Ryou, Rancho Bernardo High School, San Diego
• Navyaa Sharma, Westview High School, San Diego
• Alexandra R. Silver, Torrey Pines High School, San Diego
• Vardaan Sinha, Del Norte High School, San Diego
• Ian H. Sturak, Point Loma High School, San Diego
• Kyle P. Tianshi, The Cambridge School, San Diego
• Sofia Verma, The Bishop's School, La Jolla
• Cindy Xue, Torrey Pines High School, San Diego
• Vivian Ye, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego
• Emily Yu, Westview High School, San Diego

This is the second announcement of winners in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. In April, about 770 high school seniors nationally won corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship awards financed by 94 corporations, company foundations, and other business organizations, including 13 high school students in San Diego County.

On June 5 and July 15, roughly 3,600 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners will be announced. By the conclusion of this year's competition, more than 6,870 high school seniors will receive National Merit Scholarships worth approximately $26 million.