Mendota Heights Students Win National Merit Scholarships

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MN — 2,500 National Merit Scholarship winners were announced Wednesday, including two students in the Mendota Heights area.

The winners will receive $2,500 scholarships and were chosen from a pool of over 15,000 applicants, National Merit said.

The winners from Mendota Heights include:

• Katherine O. Heinsch: attends Convent of the Visitation School in Mendota Heights
  
  • From Grant, MN
  • Probable career field: Public Policy
• Divya Bhargava: attends St. Paul Academy and Summit School in St. Paul
• From Mendota Heights, MN
• Probable career field: Medicine

"National Merit $2500 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," National Merit noted. "The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors."

Winners were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors who looked at academic records, scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test(PSAT/NMSQT®), contributions and leadership in school and community activities, an essay and a recommendation written by a high school official, according to National Merit. This year's program began in October 2020 when juniors took the PSAT/NMSQT®, National Merit said.