Pleasanton Students Win National Merit Scholarships

PLEASANTON, CA — Two graduates of Amador Valley High School and two from Foothill High School received college-sponsored National Merit Scholarships.

The four students were some of the 3,000 college-sponsored awards that provide between $500 and $2,500 annually to students who plan to attend that university.

The following Pleasanton students received awards:

• Annika Frey, Amador Valley High School, Northeastern University Scholarship
• Marvin Lin, Foothill High School, University of Maryland Scholarship
• Aiden Rim, Amador Valley High School, Northeastern University Scholarship
• Colin Zhang, Foothill High School, University of Texas Dallas Scholarship

In 2023, 153 colleges and universities are sponsoring over 3,800 Merit Scholarship awards. In 2023, a total of 7,140 students across the students received a total of nearly $28 million in aid, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

In 2023, a total of 17 Pleasanton students received the prestigious scholarship, the highest number in the Tri-Valley by far (San Ramon Valley Unified School District students received 12.)

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 one percent of high school 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.