Last week, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced this year’s National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners, including seven from southern Denton County. The 2,500 Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 finalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program, according to a NMSC news release.
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, according to NMSC. They were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the finalists and their high schools: the 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 written by the Finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.
- Sarah Spivey, Guyer High School
- Anusha Hegde, Marcus High School
- Jibran Khalil, Flower Mound High School
- Gia Lee, Flower Mound High School
- Joji Sherman, Flower Mound High School
- Katherine Pearson, Coram Deo Academy
- Timothy Ogunfunmi, School of Science and Engineering Magnet
These scholarships are financed by the NMSC. More than 1,000 other students have already received corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards, and this summer, about 4,100 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners will be announced.