2 Encino Students Named National Merit Scholars

LOS ANGELES, CA —Two Encino students are among just over 300 California students to receive $2500 National Merit Scholarships. They were chosen from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Encino's Tiffany H. Chang and Tai L. Michaels did their families and teachers proud earning a scholarship from among the nation's most promising scholars. Chang a graduate of Phillips Academy in Andover is planning a career in law. Michaels, a graduate of North Hollywood High School, is looking at a career in environmental science.

The National Merit Scholarship program picks students deemed to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies

Their future careers read like science fiction. In addition to engineers, doctors and lawyers, these students are aiming for careers in Space Entrepreneurship, Bioinformatics and International Development.

The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

List of 2019 Los Angeles County winners, $2500 National Merit Scholarships:

• Margaret Chang, Arcadia resident, Arcadia High School; Probable career field: Law
• Michael Huang, Arcadia resident, Arcadia High School; Probable career field: Electrical Engineering
• Isabella Liu, Arcadia resident, Arcadia High School; Probable career field: Economics
• Ivan Y. Luu, Arcadia resident, Arcadia High School; Probable career field: Neurobiology
• William Shue, Arcadia resident, Arcadia High School; Probable career field: Computer Science
• David H. Ahn, Artesia resident, Gretchen Whitney High School in Cerritos; Probable career field: Mechanical Engineering
• Ariella D. Simoni, Beverly Hills resident, Beverly Hills High School; Probable career field: Computer Science
• John M. Oswald, Calabasas resident, Chaminade College Preparatory School in West Hills; Probable career field: Aerospace Engineering
• Matthew R. Lacayo, Cerritos resident, Gretchen Whitney High School; Probable career field: Computer Science
• Timothy J. Yeh, Diamond Bar, Diamond Bar High School; Probable career field: Electrical Engineering
• Tiffany H. Chang, Encino resident, Phillips Academy in Andover, MA; Probable career field: Law
• Tai L. Michaels, Encino resident, North Hollywood High School in North Hollywood; Probable career field: Environmental Science
• Davit Antonyan, Glendale resident, Herbert Hoover High School; Probable career field: Business Administration
• Justin S. Nakama, Glendale resident, Crescenta Valley High School in La Crescenta ; Probable career field: Chemical Engineering
• Nicolas E. Suter, Glendale resident, home schooled; Probable career field: Mathematics
• Kyle Lee, La Canada, La Canada High School; Probable career field: Public Policy
• Everett M. Chew, La Palma, Home school; Probable career field: Computer Science
• Erin C. Shin, Long Beach, Long Beach Polytechnic High School; Probable career field: Neurosurgery
• Caris White, Long Beach, Long Beach Polytechnic High School;Probable career field: Medicine
• Benjamin S. Beckman, Los Angeles, Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City; Probable career field: Music Composition
• Erica M. De Guzman, Los Angeles, Maranantha High School in Pasadena; Probable career field: Mechanical Engineering
• Arabella Dill-Macky, Los Angeles, Marlborough School; Probable career field: Engineering
• Elyse B. Forman, Los Angeles, Windward School; Probable career field: Medicine
• Aviva B. Intveld, Los Angeles,The Archer School for Girls; Probable career field: Earth Science
• Tej A. Joshi, Los Angeles, Chadwick School on the Palos Verdes Peninsula; Probable career field: Undecided
• Kathy J. Lee, Los Angeles, Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, CT; Probable career field: Medicine
• Hannah S. Morrison, Los Angeles, Redondo Beach High School; Probable career field: Foreign Service
• Harper R. Oreck, Los Angeles, Polytechnic School in Pasadena; Probable career field: Law
• Bryan Pyo, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies; Probable career field: Computer Science
• Alexandra R. So, Los Angeles, Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City; Probable career field: Genetics
• Ryan M. Wixen, Los Angeles, Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City; Probable career field: Electrical Engineering
• Ethan Daniel Park, Manhattan Beach, Mira Costa High School; Probable career field: Biochemistry
• Haesung Jee, North Hills resident, Cleveland High School in Reseda; Probable career field: Public Health/Medicine
• Christina Kwak, North Hills resident, Van Nuys High School in VanNuys; Probable career field: Biotechnology
• Audrey Limb, Palmdale resident, Quartz Hill High School in Quartz Hill; Probable career field: Biology
• Jerry R. Bronkar, Pasadena resident, John Marshall Fundamental School; Probable career field: Computer Science
• Ryan M. Huntley, Pasadena resident, Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada Flintridge; Probable career field: Engineering
• Leslie S. Ledahl, Pasadena resident, Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada Flintridge; Probable career field: Education
• Elizabeth Maechling, Pasadena resident, Polytechnic School; Probable career field: Computer Science
• Desmond V. Mantle, Pasadena resident, Polytechnic School; Probable career field: Law
• Bavan P. Rajan, Pasadena resident, Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada Flintridge; Probable career field: Chemical Engineering
• Justin Wang, Pasadena resident,Oakwood School in North Hollywood; Probable career field: Music
• Fatma S. Djellouli, Porter Ranch resident, Granada Hills Charter High School in Granada Hills; Probable career field: Applied Mathematics
• Jason M. Lee, Porter Ranch resident, Cleveland High School in Reseda; Probable career field: Computer Science
• Serin M. Bok, Rancho Palos Verdes resident, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates; Probable career field: Law (Intellectual Property)
• James B. Chao, Rancho Palos Verdes resident, Chadwick School on the Palos Verdes Peninsula; Probable career field: Business
• Youngeun Kim, Rancho Palos Verdes resident, Palos Verdes High school; Probable career field: Physics
• Lauren Y. Kong, Rancho Palos Verdes resident, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates; Probable career field: Mechanical Engineering
• Jennifer S. Terada, Rancho Palos Verdes resident, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates; Probable career field: Civil Engineering
• Robert E. Wakefield-Carl, Rancho Palos Verdes resident, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates; Probable career field: Computer Engineering
• Sarah R. Fry, Redondo Beach, Marymount High School in Los Angeles; Probable career field: Astronautics
• Louise Deser Siskel, San Marino, Sequoyah School in Pasadena; PASADENA Probable career field: Medicine
• Nami Nobahar, Santa Monica, Santa Monica High School; Probable career field: Medicine
• Justin J. Hyon, Sierra Madre, La Canada High School in La Canada Flintridge; Probable career field: Biomedicine
• Christian S. Chitty, Simi Valley, Sierra Canyon School; Probable career field: Biomedical Engineering
• Daniel J. Quintana, Simi Valley, Royal High School; Probable career field: Computer Science
• Eli H. P. Grossman, South Pasadena, Polytechnic School in Pasadena; Probable career field: Biology
• Yilin Wu, South Pasadena, South Pasadena High School; Probable career field: Mathematics
• Ronen O. Lee, Studio City, North Hollywood High School in North Hollywood; Probable career field: Biochemical Engineering
• Diana Z. Chernyak, Tarzana, Van Nuys High School in Van Nuys; Probable career field: Psychiatry
• Yujung P. Park, Tarzana, Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City; Probable career field: Biomedical Engineering
• Victor W. Huang, Temple City, Arcadia High School in Arcadia; Probable career field: Computer Science
• Anusha Silla, Temple City, Arcadia High School in Arcadia; Probable career field: Computer Science
• Ashley Chen, Torrance, South High School; Probable career field: Computer Science
• Jeffrey Shen, Torrance, South High School; Probable career field: Computer Science
• Colby E. Chang, Walnut resident, Troy High School in Fullerton; Probable career field: Materials Engineering
• Ashley Chen, Walnut resident, Walnut High School; Probable career field: Biology
• Amy F. Lo, Walnut resident, Walnut High School; Probable career field: Communications
• Kristina M. Hiraishi, West Covina, South Hills High School; Probable career field: Investment Banking
• Alice Zhang, West Covina, Walnut High School in Walnut; Probable career field: Healthcare
• Travis O. Graening, West Hills, Home schooled; Probable career field: Electrical Engineering
• Shoichi Omoto, Whittier, Troy High School in Fullerton; Probable career field: Biology
• Nicolette Gelnak, Woodland Hills, Agoura High School in Agoura Hills; Probable career field: Academia

The scholarships may be used at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university.

Judging criteria

The scholarship recipients were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high
school counselors using this criteria: academic records including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.

More scholarships to be announced

On June 5 and July 15, more than 4,000 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners will be announced. By the conclusion of this year’s competition, about 7,600 students will have won National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million.

Patch Staffers Bea Karnes and Paige Austin contributed to this report.