Loudoun Seniors Win College-Sponsored Merit Scholarships

ASHBURN, VA — Five seniors from Loudoun County have won college-sponsored Merit Scholarships, the latest announcement of winners in the 2020 competition. Officials from colleges chose students who plan to attend their schools from a group of National Merit Scholarship finalists.

Among 30 winners from Virginia, here are the five recipients from Loudoun County:

• Jason T. Birsic, Ashburn, Stone Bridge High School. Scholarship from Clemson University with a possible career in engineering.
• Aarushi Dubey, Ashburn, Briar Woods High School. Scholarship from University of Maryland with a possible career in computer science.
• Jeffrey K. Broadbent, Dulles, American Embassy School, New Delhi. Scholarship from Brigham Young University with a possible career in education.
• Rohan Kalra, Leesburg, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Scholarship from the University of Southern California with a possible career in neuroscience.
• Molly C. Lum, Sterling, Potomac Falls High School. Scholarship from the University of North Texas with a possible career in music.

There were 3,300 winners of college-sponsored awards nationwide. The scholarships come from 92 private institutions and 75 public institutions, covering 43 states and the District of Columbia.

Students were entered into the National Merit Scholarship competitions by taking the 2018 Preliminary SAT. Around 16,000 semifinalists, the highest-scoring students in each state, were chosen in proportion to each state's share of graduating high school seniors. These semifinalists represent less than 1 percent of seniors in the U.S.

The group was narrowed down further when semifinalists were asked to submit a scholarship application with an essay, recommendation from a high school official and information about extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions. Semifinalists must also demonstrate an outstanding academic record and SAT or ACT scores that reinforce their PSAT performance. About 15,000 students became finalists and are considered for awards.

Additional college-sponsored scholarships will be announced on July 13, bringing the total of 2020 college-sponsored winners to 4,100. Recipients receive annual scholarships between $500 and $2,000 for up to four years of undergraduate study at the higher education institution. Around 1,000 corporate-sponsored scholarships were announced on April 22, and 2,500 of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation's own awards were announced on May 13.

Eight students from Loudoun won the National Merit Scholarship Corporation's awards in May, and five won corporate-sponsored awards in April.

About 7,600 finalists will win over $30 million in National Merit Scholarships in 2020.