Robinson, TJHSST Students Win National Merit Scholarships

A student from Robinson Secondary School and seven students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology received scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) to help pay for their college education. 

The college-sponsored scholarships, which are awarded to graduates from the class of 2013, range between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship, according to a news release from Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). 

A total of 15 students from FCPS schools were awarded scholarships. Approximately 7,800 students won Merit Scholarship awards in 2013, the release states.

The following students were awarded scholarships:

• Anagha Srikanth, Robinson Secondary School, National Merit American University Scholarship for journalism.
• Kirsten Cardinal, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), National Merit Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Scholarship for chemical engineering.
• David Gao of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), National Merit University of Chicago Scholarship for economics.
• Genevieve Gural of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), National Merit Virginia Tech Scholarship for aerospace engineering.
• Thomas Hay of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), National Merit Northeastern University Scholarship for computer science.
• Karina Hemmendinger of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), National Merit Case Western Reserve University Scholarship for polymer-plastics engineering.
• Amanda Nelson of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), National Merit Denison University Scholarship for neurosurgery.
• Vaughn Varma of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), National Merit Rochester Institute of Technology Scholarship for mechanical engineering-robotics.