Students From Aurora Win National Merit Scholarships

AURORA, IL — A group of 2022 National Merit Scholarship winners were announced Wednesday, and two students from Aurora are among them.

National Merit Scholarship winners from Aurora include:

• Riya Anandpara, of Metea Valley High School in Aurora. National Merit USG Corporation Scholarship. Probable career field: Computer science.
• Shravani Suram, of Metea Valley High School in Aurora. National Merit Pepsico Foundation Scholarship. Probable career field: Neuroscience.

Anandpara and Suram are among 57 National Merit winners announced in Illinois.

The winners were announced on Wednesday and include approximately 1,000 high school seniors from across the U.S. The corporate scholarships are financed by about 140 corporations, company foundations and other business organizations, according to a news release from the National Merit Scholarship Program.

The awards are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study and students get a stipend that's anywhere between $1,000 and $10,000 each year. Some awards include a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000.

Winners were selected from students who advanced to the finalist level and met criteria set by corporate sponsors. Most corporate-sponsored scholarships are limited to qualifying children of employees, while some are also open to residents of certain areas or those who plan to pursue studies a corporate sponsor wants to encourage.

A total of 16,000 students were selected as finalists for the scholarships and the final winners are candidates "judged to have the strongest combination of academic skills and achievements, extracurricular accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies."