5 Conestoga High School Students Win National Merit Scholarships

BERWYN, PA — Five local students have been named a National Merit Scholarship winners in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Conestoga High School students Anika Basu, Malaika Hamid, George C. Zhang, all of Berwyn; Rhea Malik, of Devon; and Lily X. Jiang, of Paoli, were all named winners of $2,500 National Merit Scholarships.

According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, Jiang plans to study academia, Hamid healthcare, Zhang finance, and Malik and Basu computer science.

These five and the other awardees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding finalists in the 2024 program.

These winners had the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

They 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; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.

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