2 Princeton High Students Win Corporate-Sponsored Merit Scholarship

PRINCETON, NJ — Two Princeton High School students have earned the corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship. Matthew G. Cheng and Angela Y. Gu are among 1,000 high school seniors around the United States to earn the honor.

Cheng and Gu won the National Merit Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Scholarship that is awarded annually to the children of active, full-time employees of Bristol-Myers Squibb. Gu, a Cranbury resident, plans to study pharmacy and Cheng wishes to study economics.

Corporate sponsors provide National Merit Scholarships for finalists who are children of their employees, residents of the communities the company serves or who plan to pursue college majors or careers the sponsor wishes to encourage.

Most of the awards are renewable for up to four years of 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 scholarships at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation will name recipients of its $2,500 scholarships on May 11 and then announce winners of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards on June 1 and July 11. By the end of this year's competitions, about 7,500 students will have received more than $28 million in merit scholarships — an average of about $3,700 per winner.

Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

Get breaking news alerts on your phone with our app. Download here. Sign up to get Patch emails so you don't miss out on local and statewide news.