San Ramon Students Win National Merit Scholarships

SAN RAMON, CA — Two California High School students and one San Ramon resident who attends the Quarry Lane School received National Merit Scholarship awards of $2500, which were awarded by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation's own funds, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

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.

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

• Mengze Li, California High School, computer science.
• Tiffany Liu, Quarry Lane School, computer science.
• Cindy Zhao, California High School, computer science.

Li and Zhao were two of three total SRVUSD students awarded in the latest round. Bashar Kabbarah of Monte Vista High School was also honored. In April, two students from Monte Vista, two from Dougherty Valley, and one from Cal High received corporate-sponsored scholarships.

“We are incredibly proud of these five exceptional students,” SRVUSD Superintendent CJ Cammack said in a statement in April. “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 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.