Five Chattanooga area students were awarded scholarships by the National Merit Scholarship Corp., the nonprofit announced Wednesday.
The local winners, hailing from five different public and private schools, are among the more than 2,500 high school seniors nationwide who were awarded a $2,500 scholarship from the corporation’s own funds.
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The $2,500 scholarship winners are the National Merit Finalists in each state that have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in college, according to a press release.
The winners include:
— McCallie School student Akhil Giddaluri of Chattanooga. He intends to study computer science.
— Elizabeth Innes, a Signal Mountain Middle/High student, who plans to study engineering.
— Notre Dame High student Nathan Jungels of Hixson, who intends to pursue a career in financial quantitative analysis
— Lauren Lawless, a Ringgold resident who attends Girls Preparatory School. She plans to study mechanical engineering.
— Anna Stoddard, a Red Bank resident who attends Baylor School. She intends to study physics.
The students entered the National Merit Scholarship Program in October 2024 when, as high school juniors, they took the preliminary SAT, which serves as the qualifying test. This past fall, the highest-scoring participants in each state were named semifinalists.
From the semifinalist group, the field was narrowed to about 6,700 “Merit Scholars” who receive scholarships. The finalists are chosen based on their academic record, contributions and leadership in extracurriculars, a submitted essay and a recommendation letter.
Winners of college-sponsored merit scholarships will be announced June 3 and July 13.
— Compiled by Shannon Coan