The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) has named 31 Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) students winners of $2,500 National Merit Scholarships. The students are part of a group of approximately 2,500 National Merit finalists chosen to receive scholarships primarily financed by the NMSC.
Winners of the scholarships, with their probable career fields in parentheses, are:
- Emily Schaal of Herndon High School (economics).
- Tae-Jung Yang of Herndon High School (chemical engineering).
- Nathaniel Speiser of Langley High School (physics).
- Leah Surratt of Langley High School (engineering).
- Katherine Tan of Langley High School (undecided).
- Matthew Cohen of Madison High School (history).
- Paul Burke of Oakton High School (nuclear engineering).
- Monica Hanratty of Oakton High School (economics).
- Ajay Mehta of Oakton High School (medicine).
- Rhea Singh of Oakton High School (surgical medicine).
- Sreenath Are of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) (computer science). Hometown: Herndon
- Rohan Banerjee of TJHSST (aerospace engineering). Hometown: Oak Hill
- Owen Gray of TJHSST (biotechnology). Hometown: McLean
- Veronica Lee of TJHSST (electrical engineering). Hometown: McLean
- Andrea Li of TJHSST (biological engineering). Hometown: Vienna
- Ivy Ren of TJHSST (physics). Hometown: Springfield
- Emily Schneider of TJHSST (medical research). Hometown: Fairfax.
- Joseph Valery of TJHSST (physics). Hometown: Great Falls
- Victoria Xia of TJHSST (computer science). Hometown: Vienna
- Jennifer Yin of TJHSST (finance). Hometown: McLean
- Kelly Giddens of West Springfield High School (international relations).
- Isabella Brahm of Woodson High School (engineering).
- Chloe Yun of Woodson High School (medicine).
Each scholarship winner was evaluated on his or her academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay describing interests and goals; and a recommendation from a high school official. The number of winners named in a state is in proportion to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating high school seniors.