Danville Students Win Corporate-Sponsored National Merit Scholarships

DANVILLE, CA — Two Danville students received corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship awards. Finalists are either children of employees, residents of the communities served by the companies, or plan to pursue college majors or careers the companies wish to encourage.

The students were among 830 high school seniors nationally who received scholarships funded by 124 companies. In September, more than 16,000 semifinalists were selected on the basis of their PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test scores. To advance to the finalist round, semifinalists needed to have an outstanding academic record, be endorsed or recommended by a high school official, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm their qualifying test performance.

The awards range from $1,000 to $10,000 per year, and most are renewable for up to four years at an accredited college or university.

Below are the finalists’ names, schools, scholarship names, and probable career fields:

• Emre Ferman, Monte Vista High School, National Merit OMron Scholarship, nuclear engineering.
• Sofia Fernandez, Monte Vista High School, National Merit Chevron Scholarship, chemical engineering.

Ferman and Fernandez are two of five total SRVUSD students given awards. Josiah Chen and Michael Pham of Dougherty Valley High, and William Piggott IV of California High School were also honored.

“We are incredibly proud of these five exceptional students,” SRVUSD Superintendent CJ Cammack said in a statement. “They exemplify the strength of our schools, the support of our community, and the limitless potential of our youth. We celebrate their hard work and the opportunities these scholarships will unlock for their futures.”

Winners of the National Merit $2500 Scholarships will be announced May 7, and the winners of college-sponsored Merit Scholarships will be announced June 4 and July 14. By the end of the 2025, more than 6,930 students nationwide will have earned National Merit Scholarships totaling approximately $26 million, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.