Lake Braddock Seniors Win College-Sponsored Merit Scholarships

BURKE, VA — Students attending Lake Braddock Secondary School and Robinson Secondary School have won 2020 college-sponsored Merit Scholarships. Officials from colleges chose students who plan to attend their schools from a group of National Merit Scholarship finalists.

Among 30 winners selected from Virginia, two are students at Lake Braddock Secondary School, one attends Robinson Secondary School, and another lives in West Springfield. Lake Braddock student Daniel S. Beckstrand won a scholarship from University of Texas at Dallas and plans to study nanotechnology. The other Lake Braddock winner, Amy C. Smith, received a scholarship from Rutgers University and plans to study law.

Josephine M. George, a Robinson Secondary School student, won a scholarship from University of South Florida and will study medicine. Clara G. Boles, a West Springfield resident attending Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, earned a scholarship from Purdue University and will study computer science.

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. Robinson Secondary School senior Pristina N. Koon was selected as one of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation award winners.

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

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