By ​Irvine City News staff

Though school has been out for a while now, students from Irvine Unified School District schools, as well as Irvine-based students studying elsewhere, are still earning awards and scholarships. Among the most prestigious are National Merit Scholarships, which can be awarded from companies and foundations, individual schools and from National Merit Scholarship Corp.’s (NMSC) own funds.

More than 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program when they took the 2015 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants.

In September 2016, some 16,000 semifinalists were designated on a state-representational basis in numbers proportional to each state’s percentage of the national total of graduating high school seniors. Semifinalists were the highest-scoring program entrants in each state and represented less than one percent of the nation’s seniors.

To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, semifinalists had to fulfill requirements to advance to finalist standing. Each semifinalist was asked to complete a detailed scholarship application, which included writing an essay and providing information about extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions.

Semifinalists also had to have an outstanding academic record, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, and earn SAT scores that confirmed their qualifying test performance. From the semifinalist group, some 15,000 met finalist requirements.

By the conclusion of the 2017 competition, about 7,500 finalists will have been selected to receive National Merit Scholarships totaling over $32 million. Winners are the finalist candidates judged to have the strongest combination of academic skills and achievements, extracurricular accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

Note, the National Merit Scholarship folks provide this note: “CAUTION: Any attempt to compare high schools on the basis of numbers of Merit Scholarship winners will lead to erroneous and unsound conclusions.

The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The program does not measure the quality or effectiveness of education within a school, system, or state.”

Still, one can’t help but note that Irvine students did spectacularly well in winning the prestigious scholarships. Congratulations to some of Irvine’s most meritorious scholars!
 
National Merit-Sponsored Scholarships:
National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. NMSC finances most of these single-payment National Merit $2,500 Scholarships.
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Corporations and company foundations that sponsor awards through NMSC also help underwrite these scholarships with grants they provide in lieu of paying administrative fees. Scholars may use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university.
 
Vicki M. Chen
UNIVERSITY H.S.
Probable career field: Finance
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Hemal Madaan
WOODBRIDGE H.S.
Probable career field: Business Management
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Shilpa Rajagopal
NORTHWOOD H.S.
Probable career field: Biology
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Akanksha Sah
UNIVERSITY H.S.
Probable career field: Law I
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Phillip H. Seo
UNIVERSITY H. S.
Probable career field: Economics
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP UNDERWRITTEN BY THE UPS FOUNDATION

Alan B. Shi
NORTHWOOD H.S.
Probable career field: Healthcare
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Vicki Wang
IRVINE H.S.
Probable career field: Biology
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Nancy Wu
UNIVERSITY H.S.
Probable career field: Design
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Younjin Song
ARNOLD O. BECKMAN H.S.
Probable career field: Business
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Ethan R. Davis
CRANBROOK KINGSWOOD SCHOOL, BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI
(Ethan, an Irvine resident, is attending school in MI.)
Probable career field: Academia
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP

Richard A. Grannis-Vu
HOMESCHOOL
Probable career field: Computer Science
NATIONAL MERIT $2,500 SCHOLARSHIP
 
University-Sponsored National Merit Scholarships:
Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among the finalists in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institutions. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.
 
Shourya Chawla
IRVINE H.S.
Probable career field: Finance
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SCHOLARSHIP

Richard Hua
UNIVERSITY H.S.
Probable career field: Biology
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SCHOLARSHIP

Jenny Ji
UNIVERSITY H.S.
Probable career field: Medicine IRVINE
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA SCHOLARSHIP

Chuangqi Lao
UNIVERSITY H.S.
 Probable career field: Computer Science
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
SCHOLARSHIP

Jeremy S. Pan
ARNOLD O. BECKMAN H.S.
Probable career field: Medicine
BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP
 
Corporate-Sponsored Scholarships:
Corporate sponsors provide National Merit Scholarships for finalists who are children of their employees, who are residents of communities the company serves, or who plan to pursue college majors or careers the sponsor wishes to encourage.

Most of these awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and provide annual stipends that range from $500 to $10,000 per year. Some provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000. Recipients can use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university of their choice.
 
Isabelle S. Zhou
UNIVERSITY H.S.
Probable career field: Business Administration
Citizen Watch Company of America, Inc.

​By Irvine City News staff

Each year, Irvine Public Schools Foundation (IPSF), awards scholarships to students who exemplify the qualities of leadership, community service and academic excellence.
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“IPSF is proud to award over $28,000 this year through our scholarship programs in support of students planning to pursue post-secondary education,” says Neda Eaton, president and CEO of IPSF. “We were so impressed by the caliber of submissions this year, and continued to be inspired by the students’ ability to not only achieve educational excellence, but also sustain a well-rounded experience that enabled them to explore their passions.”

This year’s scholarship recipients include:
 
Ryan Nhu, Northwood High School- Dr. Kevin Armstrong Memorial Scholarship – $5,000
Ryan was on the varsity volleyball team and involved in clubs including Aid for Africa. He is passionate about social justice and community service, serving on student government where he teaches others the importance of understanding, open mindedness, and acceptance when faced with adversity. In the fall, Ryan will be attending University of Southern California, double-majoring in Law, History & Culture and English.

Logan Prock, Woodbridge High School- Lee Bryn Brooks Community Service Scholarship – $5,000
Logan has had a passion for volunteering ever since she visited Tijuana for her first house-build trip at age eight. Since then, she has worked with various nonprofits as a part of National Charity League, and has learned that having a servant’s heart is a lifelong commitment. Logan plans to major in Neuroscience or Human Biology at Vanderbilt University this fall and plans to pursue community service through Doctors Without Borders, volunteering abroad.

Stephen Chen, Woodbridge High School- IPSF Student Athlete Scholarship in partnership with SoCal Elite – $5,000
In addition to his academic and athletic accomplishments on the varsity tennis team, Stephen is a passionate musician, has been active with the Red Cross Club and has been volunteering for the IPSF Instrument Rental Program since he was 11 years old. Stephen plans to attend UCLA as a Statistics major.

Lauren Spear, Woodbridge High School- Rising Moon Scholarship on behalf of the Crescent Moon Foundation – $3,000
As captain of her high school water polo team and a dedicated volunteer at the Blind Children’s Learning Center, Lauren is extremely passionate about helping others and leading with integrity and compassion. Lauren will be attending Texas Christian University in the fall, and is interested in studying speech and language pathology.

Ryan Lee, Irvine High School - IPSF Scholarship for the Arts – $10,000
Ryan discovered his passion for the arts at the age of five when his mother drove him to Los Angeles to tag along for his sister’s meeting with a talent agency. The agency signed him and from that day on, Ryan was hooked. Participating in numerous commercials, improv performances and musicals inspired Ryan’s second love, writing music and screenplays. During Ryan’s sophomore year, he learned the power of the arts, and its ability to heal and help after the tragic loss of a friend to suicide. Having the ability to write and perform allowed Ryan to express his emotions in a healthy way, which enabled him to move forward and also inspire others.