4 Henrico students earn $2,500 National Merit Scholarships

Four Henrico County high school students are among 64 Virginia recipients of $2,500 National Merit Scholarships. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation selected 2,500 students from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists nationwide to receive the scholarships.

The Henrico recipients are:

• Abhay Srivastava of Glen Allen, a student at Deep Run High School who intends to study environmental policy;
• Katie X. Zhang of Glen Allen, a student at Deep Run High School who intends to study computer science;
• Abhay V. Duggirala of Glen Allen, a student at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School in Richmond who intends to study economics;
• Michael A. Kish of Henrico, a student at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School who intends to study business.

National Merit $2500 Scholarship winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.

Recipients were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the finalists and their high schools: academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by each finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.

NMSC finances most of these single-payment National Merit $2500 Scholarships. Corporations and company foundations that sponsor awards through NMSC also help underwrite these scholarships with grants they provide in lieu of paying administrative fees. Scholars may use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university.