The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced its lists of 2021 high school graduates who have been awarded college-sponsored scholarships on June 2 and July 12.
The college-sponsored scholarships were financed by 160 colleges and universities this year for more than 4,100 National Merit Scholarship 2021 finalists who will attend their college/university.
The college-sponsored awards provide between $500-$2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study.
The corporate-sponsored awards were announced on April 12. They are financed by about 140 corporations, company foundations and other business organizations. The NMSC estimated that about one thousand seniors nationwide won this year’s corporate awards.
Nationwide, about 7,500 high school students competed for a share of scholarships worth nearly $30 million in the three levels of the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship awards.
Corporate-sponsored merit scholarships are mostly renewable for up to four years of college 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 may use the awards at any accredited college or university of their choice.
Corporate sponsors provide scholarships to finalists who are children of their employees, residents of the communities in which the company serves or students who plan to pursue college majors that the sponsor wants to encourage.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation also announced on May 12 the recipients of the $2,500 scholarships.
Here is the list of college-sponsored winners in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program in Los Angeles County by school and school location:
ALHAMBRA
Mark Keppel HS
- Jasmine J. Lim (USC)
ARCADIA
Arcadia HS
- Claire Ashley Liang (USC)
CHATSWORTH
Sierra Canyon School
- Abdullah Z. Rafique (USC)
CLAREMONT
Webb School of California
- Andy Zhang (Tufts University)
EL SEGUNDO
Da Vinci Science HS
- Nicole P. Yeh (Vanderbilt University)
LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE
Flintridge Preparatory School
- Krissie Essilfie (USC)
La Cañada HS
- Amelia E. Seropian (University of Chicago)
LA CRESCENTA
Crescenta Valley HS
- Anahita Ahmadi (USC)
- Sarah Nakama (USC)
LAKEWOOD
Homeschool
- Nicholas J. Benefield (Belmont University)
LA VERNE
Damien HS
- Christopher A. Phillips (University of Chicago)
LONG BEACH
Long Beach Polytechnic HS
- Jason Milo White (Texas A&M University)
LOS ANGELES
Hamilton HS
- Ryan W. Barnes (USC)
Marlborough School
- Maisie Thompson (University of Chicago)
- Kaelyn Hindshaw (University of Chicago)
Windward School
- Emma Z. Green (USC)
MANHATTAN BEACH
Mira Costa HS
- Shane P. Foley (Lawrence University)
- Nicolas M. Lee (USC)
NORTH HOLLYWOOD
North Hollywood HS
- Margot S. Dayan (USC)
PALOS VERDES ESTATES
Palos Verdes HS
- Matthew H. Kang (USC)
PALOS VERDES PENINSULA
Chadwick School
- Hannah M. Bogen (USC)
PASADENA
Polytechnic HS
- Sarah Ashley Thein (University of Chicago)
Westridge School
- Simone M. Kang (Texas A&M University)
- Katherine N. Mrozek (USC)
- Jennifer L. Spinoglio (University of Chicago)
REDONDO BEACH
Redondo Union HS
- Rylee Elizabeth Kang (USC)
ROLLING HILLS ESTATES
Palos Verdes Peninsula HS
- Amy W. Huang (USC)
- Andrew R. Sinsioco (USC)
ROWLAND HEIGHTS
John A. Rowland HS
- Bryan C. Lai (University of Texas at Dallas)
SANTA MONICA
Crossroads School
- Addison Davis (Bowdoin College)
SOUTH PASADENA
South Pasadena HS
- Frances H. Chiu (Emory College)
STUDIO CITY
Harvard-Westlake School
- Kyle T. Kaufman (Case Western Reserve University)
TORRANCE
South HS
- Ella R. Marantz (Boston University)
West HS
- Israel Ryu (University of Chicago)
VALENCIA
West Ranch HS
- Remy J. Bell (University of South Carolina)
- Janice M. Jung (USC)
VALLEY GLEN
Stem 3 Academy
- Emet Z. Hirsch (University of Chicago)
WOODLAND HILLS
El Camino Real Charter HS
- Adam M. Lahavi (USC)
The National Merit Scholarship competition process began when high school juniors, 11th graders, in about 21,000 high schools in the United States entered the academic competition by taking the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
The highest-scoring students in each state represent the pool of semifinalists who, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, represent less than 1% of United States high school seniors.
The next step for a semifinalist to become a finalist is to complete the required application that includes their SAT or ACT scores, an essay and a letter of recommendation by a high school official.
Finalists are then chosen on the basis of academic record, their participation in community and school activities, how they have demonstrated leadership ability, employment, awards and honors received.
From a group of about 17,000 semifinalists identified in September 2020, about 16,000 advanced to finalists. Students were notified in February 2021 if they were finalists and half of those win a scholarship.
The National Merit Scholarship winners, chosen on the basis of accomplishments, skills and potential for college success, are selected from this last group.
High school students interested in applying in future years need to talk to their school counselor to make arrangements to take the PSAT/NMSQT test. Registration is through the high school and not by the students. For information on the competition, bit.ly/3regff5
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation was established in 1955 and is an independent, not-for-profit group that does not operate with government assistance. Since its founding it has awarded about 432,000 scholarships worth nearly $1.3 billion.
The goals of the organization are to reward academically-dedicated students, encourage academic excellence at all levels of education, promote a deeper respect for learning in general and to encourage individuals and organizations to sponsor scholarships. nationalmerit.org; bit.ly/2kyowfH
