Alexandria Student Earns 2019 National Merit Scholarship

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Over 1,000 students have received the first scholarships in the 64th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the first 1,000 corporate-sponsored scholarships Wednesday, April 17. One of the winners hails from the City of Alexandria.

Edward F. O'Keefe IV of Gonzaga College High School received a scholarship from General Dynamics. Keefe plans to study computer engineering in college.

In all, Virginia has 30 corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship winners. Sponsored by 160 corporations, company foundations, and other businesses, the awards go to high school seniors. Corporations choose scholars who are children of their employees, residents of communities the company serves, or plan to pursue college majors or careers the company wants to promote.

The awards range from $500 to $10,000 per year or one-time payments between $2,500 and $5,000. Recipients can use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university of their choice.

Over 1.6 million juniors were considered for the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2017 Preliminary SAT (PSAT). Last September, 16,000 semifinalists were chosen based on their scores.

To advance to the finalist category, semifinalists had to complete an application detailing extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions and an essay. Students must also have an outstanding academic record, receive a recommendation from a high school official and earn SAT scores to confirm their qualifying test performance. 15,000 students met finalist requirements.

7,600 finalists nationwide will receive National Merit Scholarships totaling over $31 million in 2019. More winners will be announced in the coming months.