Union City Student Chosen For Prestigious National Merit Scholarship

UNION CITY, CA — In the second round of scholarship winners in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program announced Wednesday, a student from Union City was among the winners.

There are 2,500 winners of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation's $2,500 scholarships from its own funds and organizations sponsoring awards through the corporation. A committee of college admissions officers and school counselors chose the winners based on their application information.

Winners are named in each state in proportion to the state's share of U.S. graduating seniors.

They were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors who reviewed academic records, Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test scores, contributions and leadership in school and community activities, an essay written by the finalist, and a recommendation written by a high school official.

According to the corporation, these winners "are the Finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies." Students may use the one-time scholarships at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university.

California had 322 scholarship winners, including Ada Praun-Petrovic, a Union City resident and a high school senior at The Harker School in San Jose whose probable career field is Biochemical Engineering.

On June 7 and July 10, more scholarship recipients will be announced. Around 3,800 nationwide students will receive these college-sponsored Merit Scholarships.

In all, 7,250 scholarships worth nearly $28 million will be awarded in multiple rounds of this year's National Merit Scholarship competition which began when juniors took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The number of semifinalists in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.