2 Amador Valley HS Students Receive National Merit Scholarships

PLEASANTON, CA — Two Amador Valley High School students received college-sponsored National Merit Scholarships. Jason Jiang, who plans to study computer science, received the National Merit University of Minnesota Scholarship. William Light, whose probable career field is listed as "undecided," received the National Merit Emory University Scholarship.

Jack Cui, a resident of Pleasanton who attends the Athenian School in Danville, was also awarded the National Merit University of Southern California Scholarship.

The students are three of of over 3,000 winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by 153 U.S. colleges and universities, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Each institution selected a group of finalists who plan to attend in the fall. The winners receive between $500 and $2000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study. An additional group of college-sponsored scholars will be announced in July.

In all, over 7,140 high school students will be awarded approximately $28 million in National Merit Scholarships this year.

In 2023 so far, 11 Pleasanton students have been awarded different types of National Merit Scholarships.

One student in Dublin and two in San Ramon also received the latest round of scholarships.

Students were entered into the National Merit Scholarship competition as juniors taking the PSAT in 2021. In September, around 16,000 semifinalists were named based on each state's proportion of graduating seniors. Semifinalists were the top-scoring entrants in their states and represent fewer than 1 percent of seniors in the United States.

To be considered for finalist status, semifinalists had to submit a detailed scholarship application with an essay and details on extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions as well as demonstrate an outstanding academic record and have an endorsement from a high school official. Around 15,000 finalists met the requirements for finalist status and were eligible to be chosen for corporate-sponsored, National Merit Scholarship-sponsored and college-sponsored awards.

For more information, visit nationalmerit.org.