Charlotte Metro Seniors Win 2021 National Merit Scholarship

CHARLOTTE, NC — Seventeen graduating high-school seniors from Charlotte are among 58 throughout North Carolina to receive a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship for 2021.

Here are the list of students from Charlotte:

• Calvin M. Benson of Charlotte Country Day School. Benson plans to study aerospace engineering.
• Daraja Brown of Mallard Creek High School. Brown plans to study architectural engineering.
• Anushka Chalmeti of Harper Middle College High School. Chalmeti plans to study biomedical engineering.
• Dev M. Chheda of Ardrey Kell High School. Chheda plans to study computer science.
• Jack B. DuPuy of Charlotte Latin School. DuPuy plans to study environmental policy.
• Eleanor J. Jeffries of Myers Park High School. Jeffries plans to study medicine.
• Ana S. Kisley of Northwest School of the Arts. Kisley plans to study academia.
• Patrick K. Moore of Charlotte Country Day School. Moore plans to study chemical engineering.
• Ijay Narang of Ardrey Kell High School. Narang plans to study computer science.
• Margot K. Neligan of Charlotte Latin School.
• Kieran. S. Opela of East Mecklenburg High School. Opela plans to study psychology.
• Meera N. Patel of Providence Day School. Patel plans to study medicine.
• John P. Sarantou of Providence Day School. Sarantou plans to study biotechnology.
• Akhilesh Shivaramakrishnan of Concord High School. Shivaramakrishnan plans to study public health.
• Zoe N. Spicer of Charlotte Latin School. Spicer plans to study public policy.
• Maxwell Zetina-Jimenez of South Mecklenburg High School. Zetina-Jimenez plans to study mechanical engineering (robotics).
• Daniel D. Zhang of Charlotte Latin School. Zhang plans to study culinary arts.

Wednesday's list is the second round of 2021 National Merit scholarships. The first round of corporate-sponsored National Merit scholarships was announced on April 21. Winners of college-sponsored scholarships will be announced in June and July.

For each state, the number of winners is proportional to the state's percentage of the nation's graduating high school seniors. The program says the winners are the finalists "judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies."

More than 1.5 million students applied for the highly competitive scholarship and the program says that around 7,500 students will go on to win scholarships in 2021 that total $30 million.

A total of 16,000 students were selected as finalists for the scholarships and the final winners are candidates "judged to have the strongest combination of academic skills and achievements, extracurricular accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies."

Jim Massara, Patch Staff, contributed