A total of 16 students attending high schools in Johnson County were winners of the prestigious National Merit scholarship.
This week, the nonprofit announced National Merit winners, each earning annual scholarships for a college or university of their choice.
The students earned this recognition for their academic achievements — based on several factors, including grades, the level of difficulty of their courses and their scores on college entry exams or the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
Blue Valley had the most scholarship recipients in Kansas
In Johnson County, students in three school districts were awarded the $2,500 scholarship, including: Blue Valley School District with 14 honorees and Shawnee Mission and Olathe School District with one each.
As superintendent of Blue Valley Schools, Tonya Merrigan said the recognition speaks to the quality of education and support in her school district.
“This prestigious recognition not only reflects the dedication and academic excellence of these students but also highlights the rigorous educational environment fostered within our community,” she stated in an e-mail.
She added: “As these students continue their educational journey, this recognition serves as a testament to their potential to make significant contributions to society, opens doors to future opportunities and validates their commitment to academic success.”
Each student wins $2,500
- The finalists represent those with the “strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies,” according to National Merit Scholarship Competition representatives.
- The winners were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding finalists.
- In total, this year’s finalists will receive more than $26 million in college scholarships from the program.
- The scholarships are funded by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and its corporate sponsors, and students can use them at any regionally accredited college or university across the country.
The winners of the scholarship include:
- Noor Abbas Haider, Blue Valley High. Probable field: Medicine
- Edward Lawrence Mu, Blue Valley North High. Probable field: Chemical Engineering
- John H. Perkins, Blue Valley High. Probable career field: Statistics
- Quinten A. Schafer, Blue Valley North High. Probable career field: Computer Science
- Katherine J. Murphy, Shawnee Mission East High. Probable career field: Mathematics
- Andrew Dai, Olathe North High. Probable career field: Anthropology
- Sadiya Abi, Blue Valley West High. Probable career field: Dentistry
- Suditi R. Challa, Blue Valley North High. Probable career field: Law
- Aiden F. Juhl. Blue Valley North High. Probable career field: Conservation
- Shreyas Krishnan, Blue Valley Northwest High. Probable career field: Finance
- Elizabeth C. Lin, Blue Valley North High. Probable career field: Biomedical Engineering
- Rhea Sadagopan, Blue Valley North High. Probable career field: Law
- Soumya Takalka, Blue Valley West High. Probable career field: Medicine
- Samuel C. Waller, Blue Valley Northwest High. Probable career field: Computer Science
- Megan Wang, Blue Valley Northwest High. Probable career field: Medicine
- Rebecca B. Xue, Blue Valley West High. Probable career field: Bioengineering
