3 Central Bucks Students Named Merit Scholarship Winners

DOYLESTOWN, PA — Three students in the Central Bucks School District have been named winners of corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarships.

These three were selected from students who advanced to the finalist level in the National Merit Scholarship competition and met criteria of their scholarship sponsors.

Corporate sponsors provide National Merit Scholarships for finalists who are children of their employees, who are residents of communities the company serves, or who plan to pursue
college majors or careers the sponsor wishes to encourage.

The local winners are:

• Ayooluwa Joshua Popoola of Chalfont, a student at Central Bucks South, won the National Merit Motorola Solutions Foundation Scholarship. Motorola Scholarships are provided to high school seniors who are children of Motorola Solutions employees. Probable Career Field: Computer Engineering.
• James Xiaoxing Wan of Doylestown, a student at Central Bucks East, has won a National Merit Johnson & Johnson Scholarship. Probable Career Field: Atmospheric Science.
• Edan H. Wong, a student at Central Bucks High School East, has won a National Merit Johnson & Johnson Scholarship. Probable Career Field: Industrial Engineering.

In September 2024, more than 16,000 semifinalists were designated on a state-representational basis in numbers proportional to each state’s percentage of the national total of graduating high school seniors.

Semifinalists were the highest-scoring program entrants in each state and represented less than one percent of the nation’s seniors.

To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, semifinalists had to fulfill requirements to advance to Finalist standing. Each semifinalist was asked to complete a detailed scholarship application, which included writing an essay and providing information about extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions.

Semifinalists also had to have an outstanding academic record, be endorsed and recommended
by a high school official, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirmed their qualifying test performance.

From the Semifinalist group, over 15,000 met finalist requirements.

By the conclusion of the 2025 competition, more than 6,930 finalists will have been selected to receive National Merit Scholarships totaling nearly $26 million. Winners are the finalist candidates judged to have the strongest combination of academic skills and achievements, extracurricular accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.