2 South Brunswick Students Win Corporate-Sponsored Merit Scholarship

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — Two South Brunswick High School students have earned a corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship. Amena Hussain and Kevin Chen, both of Kendall Park, are among 1,000 high school seniors around the United States to earn the honor.

Hussain earned the National Merit AbbVie Inc. Scholarship, which recognizes outstanding students who are the children of AbbVie employees. Chen meanwhile won the Commvault Merit Scholarship. Hussain and Chen plan to study computer science.

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