5 San Ramon Students Receive 2023 National Merit Scholarships

SAN RAMON, CA — Four San Ramon students received corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarships this year, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced Wednesday. A total of seven students from San Ramon Valley Unified schools received the prize.

Sponsors from 107 corporations, foundations and business organizations award scholarships to finalists who are either children of their employees; residents of communities the company serves; or plan to pursue college majors or careers the sponsor wishes to encourage, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Wednesday's scholarship winners were the first group of recipients announced as part of the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

Some of the scholarships provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000. Others provide annual stipends ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 per year. The scholarships may be used at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university.

Here are the San Ramon winners and their probable career fields:

• Nicholas Chang, Dougherty Valley High School, Robert Half Scholarship, computer science.
• Vivian Chang, College Preparatory School (Oakland), Battelle Scholarship, biomedicine.
• Kristen Chen, Dougherty Valley High School, Battelle Scholarship, computer science.
• Isaac Stanley Liu, Dougherty Valley High School, Battelle Scholarship, engineering.
• Sarah Stadermann, Dougherty Valley High School, Battelle Scholarship, psychiatry.

"We are so proud of the accomplishments of our seven students from Dougherty Valley, Monte Vista and San Ramon Valley High Schools who were named today as National Merit Scholarship Winners," SRVUSD Superintendent Dr. John Malloy said in a statement. "To achieve this prestigious honor, students must not only have a history of outstanding academic achievement, but also garner the endorsement and recommendation of a school official who can attest to their future potential."

In the Tri-Valley, two students in Dublin, two in Pleasanton, and one in Livermore received awards.

Nationwide, 840 high school seniors received merit scholarships financed by some 107 corporations, company foundations, and other business organizations.

In 2023, 7,250 scholarships worth nearly $28 million were warded in multiple rounds, including scholarships underwritten by National Merit's own funds and by approximately 340 business organizations, colleges and universities.

Students entered the competition as juniors by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen for entrants. The scholarship winners were judged to have the strongest combination of academic and extracurricular achievements, school endorsements, and potential for university success.