River Ridge Graduate Earns National Merit Scholarship

WOODSTOCK, GA — A Cherokee County School District graduate has earned a National Merit College Scholarship from Emory University.

Irene Chen, who graduated in May from River Ridge High School, is one of 3,500 winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities. Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among the Finalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institution.

Irene was one of five National Merit Finalists from Cherokee County Schools announced in February. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.

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An additional group of Scholars will be announced in July, bringing the total number of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship recipients in the 2018 competition to about 4,000.

This year, 178 higher education institutions are underwriting Merit Scholarship awards through the National Merit Scholarship Program. Sponsor colleges and universities include 100 private and 78 public institutions located in 44 states and the District of Columbia.

College-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners announced this week are a part of the distinguished group of about 7,500 high school seniors who will receive National Merit Scholarships for college undergraduate study worth over $31 million. Earlier this spring, NMSC announced winners of corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards and National Merit $2500 Scholarships.