Howard County Students Named National Merit Scholars

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Half a dozen area high schoolers are among the first group of winners in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Approximately 1,000 distinguished high school seniors have won corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship awards financed by approximately 140 corporations, company foundations and other business organizations.

Scholars were selected from among the students who advanced to the finalist level in the National Merit Scholarship competition and met the criteria of their scholarship sponsors. Corporate sponsors provide National Merit Scholarships for Finalists who are children of their employees, who are residents of communities the company serves or who plan to pursue college majors or careers the sponsor wishes to encourage.

Most of these awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and provide annual stipends that range from $1,000 to $10,000 per year. Some provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000. Recipients can use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university of their choice.

These students are among the first group of National Merit Scholars announced in 2021 by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. NMSC will name recipients of National Merit $2500 Scholarships on May 12 and winners of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards on June 2 and July 12. By the end of this year’s competition, an estimated 7,500 academic champions will have won National Merit Scholarships worth approximately $30 million.

• Calista Elise Brigham of Ellicott City, homeschooled, intends to study engineering
• Maggie Ju of Ellicott City, Centennial High School, intends to study science
• Trisha S. Reddy of Ellicott City, Mount Hebron High School, intends to study medicine
• Dayeon Son of Ellicott City, Niskayuna High School, intends to study writing
• Trivikram Battalapalli of Fulton, Reservoir High School, intends to study electrical engineering
• Margaret A. Yin of Glenwood, Glenelg High School, intends to study neuroscience