28 San Diego County Students Receive 2026 National Merit Scholarships

SAN DIEGO, CA — Twenty-eight San Diego County students were awarded National Merit Scholarships, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced.

The students were among 2,500 nationwide that were chosen from more than 15,000 finalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program. National Merit $2500 Scholarship winners will receive a $2,500 scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation's own funds, with underwriting help from corporations and company foundations.

The students were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors who looked at their academic record, Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test scores, school and community activities, essays and recommendations.

The San Diego area winners are:

Carlsbad

• Danielle J. Dee, Carlsbad High School, Carlsbad

Chula Vista

• Gianna Lee, Olympian High School, Chula Vista

Del Mar

• Collier E. Lawson, Torrey Pines High School, San Diego

La Jolla

• Harry Park, La Jolla High School, La Jolla
• Kailin Xuan, The Bishop's School, La Jolla

Poway

• David Z. He, Westview High School, San Diego

Rancho Santa Fe

• Aaron Li, Francis Parker School, San Diego

San Diego

• Elijah Brand, Mount Carmel High School, San Diego
• Ethan Cai, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego
• Kevin M. Chapman, Westview High School, San Diego
• Andrew J. Chen, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego
• Isla Mary Duncan, Francis Parker School, San Diego
• Leanne Fan, Westview High School, San Diego
• William K. Gao, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego
• Lucas J. Han, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego
• Katherine N. Jeon, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego
• Ronit Khushu, Francis Parker School, San Diego
• Kaelyn M. Liu, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego
• Rebecca R. Liu, The Bishop's School, La Jolla
• Roshen S. Pillay, Scripps Ranch High School, San Diego
• Naomi Shim, University City High School, San Diego
• Michelle Sun, Westview High School, San Diego
• Rahul Verma, Del Norte High School, San Diego
• Ethan L. Wang, Torrey Pines High School, San Diego
• Yuekai Wang, Rancho Bernardo High School, San Diego
• Julian Y. Wu, Westview High School, San Diego
• Eric Xie, Torrey Pines High School, San Diego
• Sophie S. Zeng, The Bishop's School, La Jolla

This is the second announcement of National Merit Scholars this year. In April, about 700 recipients of corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarships awards were named, including nine recipients in San Diego County. More winners will be announced in June and July.

By the conclusion of this year's competition, about 6,700 high school seniors will receive a total of roughly $24 million in scholarships, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.