PV Students Win National Merit Corporate Scholarships

Four students from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School are among approximately 1,000 high school seniors who have won corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship awards, the organization announced Wednesday.

More than 200 businesses helped finance this year's scholarships, most of which range from $500 to $10,000 per year and are renewable for up to four years. Many businesses bestow the scholarships to students who are children of employees or have demonstrated an interest in pursuing a field related to the company's mission.

The students at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School have been named winners:

• Adriana B. Mellor of Palos Verdes Estates, National Merit Accenture Scholarship
  Probable career field: Medicine
• Jason J. Choe of Rancho Palos Verdes, National Merit Northrop Grumman Scholarship
  Probable career field: Law
• Justin J. Choe of Rancho Palos Verdes, National Merit Northrop Grumman Scholarship
  Probable career field: Medicine
• Cynthia S. Shi of Rancho Palos Verdes, National Merit Boeing Scholarship
  Probable career field: Undecided

About 1.5 million high school juniors in about 22,000 high schools entered the 2013 National Merit Scholarship competition when they took the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. About 16,000 semifinalists—fewer than one percent of the nation's seniors—were announced in September 2012.

For National Merit Scholarship consideration, semifinalists had to complete a detailed scholarship application, have an outstanding academic record, be recommended by a high school official, and earn qualifying SAT scores, according to NMSC. About 15,000 met the requirements to become a finalist.

About 8,000 finalists will receive scholarships totaling more than $35 million by the end of the 2013 competition.

—Editor Caitlin Morran contributed to this report.