8 Charlotte Students Awarded 2020 National Merit Scholarships

CHARLOTTE, NC — Eight students from Charlotte have been named winners of the 2020 National Merit $2,500 Scholarship. The merit scholar winners, announced Wednesday, were among 2,500 winners nationwide and were selected from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists.

Wednesday's announcement is the second group of winners to be announced this year. Last month, more than 1,000 recipients of the corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship were named.

A panel of college admissions officers and high school counselors judged the students based on their accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college courses, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation said in a release. The judges looked at grades, difficulty of courses, standardized test scores, contributions and leadership both in school and in the community, an essay and a recommendation from a high school official.

The number of winners in each state was proportional to the state's share of the nation's graduating high school seniors. Additional winners will be named in June and July. By the end of the year, about 7,600 students will have won merit scholarships totaling more than $30 million. The money can be put toward any regionally accredited college or university in the U.S.

Here are the winners from Charlotte:

• Mrinal M. Chanshetty, Ardrey Kell High School; Probable career field: Engineering
• Matthew B. Grady, South Mecklenburg High School; Probable career field: Foreign Service
• Alexander W. Hobby, Providence Day High School, Probable career field: Computer Science
• Rose K. Hollingsworth, South Mecklenburg High School; Probable career field: Biology
• Kyal Sin L. Htet, Charlotte Country Day School, Probably career field: Medicine
• Major G. Kirby, Ardrey Kell High School; Probable career field: Computer Science
• Margaret W. Torstrick, Charlotte Country Day School, Probably career field: Biology
• Clara L. Wang, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham; Probable career field: Computer Science

The merit scholarship program was created in 1955. Students in grades nine through 12 vie for academic recognition and financial support for scholarships underwritten by about 400 corporate and college sponsors. More information about the scholarship program may be found here.