3 Students At 1 Hudson County Public School Win National Merit Scholarships

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced another round of college scholarship winners on Wednesday, gifting the teens $2,500 per year for four years of college, no strings attached.

Six students in Hudson County have made the cut — and three are in the same public high school.

Back on April 22, the NMSC announced a list of students receiving corporate-sponsored scholarships, and they'll announce around college-sponsored scholarships next month. The below winners will receive their scholarships directly from the NMSC.

Scholars may use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university.

This year’s applications began in October 2024, when high school juniors took the PSAT/NMSQT. The highest-scoring participants in each state — representing less than 1 percent of the nation’s high school seniors — were named semi-finalists. More than 15,000 students were finalists. Ultimately, 6,700 will become merit scholars.

The NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was founded in 1955 specifically to conduct the program.

In Jersey City, three students won from McNair Academic High School, a public magnet school that accepts fewer than 25 percent of applicants. Only Jersey City residents may apply to McNair, which is considered among the best public high schools in the country.

A Jersey City student who attends private school in Manhattan also made the list of scholars.

Students from Weehawken and Guttenberg who attend private schools also made the list.

Below are the six winners from Hudson County, with their schools and career choice.

Hudson County Winners

Max C. Koppelman, Guttenberg, law, Dwight-Englewood School

Remi Graullera, Jersey City, academia, Trinity School in New York City

Tian Hu, Jersey City, biomedical engineering, McNair Academic High School in Jersey City

Chloe Koo, Jersey City, law, McNair Academic High School, Jersey City

Neil Mehra, Jersey City, computer engineering, McNair Academic High School

Mila Varela, Weehawken, medicine, St. Dominick Academy in Jersey City

Want to see the list of 15 winners from Bergen County? Look here.

If you believe someone is missing from the list, email Patch.