National Merit Scholarship Winners Near Reston

GREAT FALLS, VA — Four students from Great Falls have been awarded a National Merit Scholarship, according to an announcement by the parent organization.

The National Merit Scholarship Organization named Elizabeth Ellinger, James Morrissey, Alvin Shi, and Sarah Strassberg as 2017 National Merit Scholars. Ellinger (architecture) and Morrissey (undecided) attend Langley High School in McLean, Shi (physics) attends Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, and Strassberg (science/research) goes to Maret School in D.C.

Ellinger and Morrissey received their scholarships from the University of Southern California, while Shi received his from the University of Chicago and Strassberg got hers from Vanderbilt University.

NMSC announced more than 3,200 winners of National Merit Scholarships on Wednesday, June 7. These scholarships are financed by U.S. colleges and universities, and the awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.

NMSC will announce another group of scholars in July, bringing the total number to about 4,000. A total of 182 higher education institutions underwrote this year's awards.

More than 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2017 National Merit Scholarship competition by taking a qualifying test. A total of 16,000 semifinalists were named last fall, and they have been winnowed down to 3,200 today.

NMSC is a not-for-profit corporation that was established in 1955. The organization says its purpose is to "enhance educational opportunities for America’s scholastically talented youth and to encourage the pursuit of academic excellence."

Image via Flickr user Ginny