Five IUSD students were named recipients of the prestigious corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarships, the highest number awarded to any school district in Orange County.
The announcement comes as part of the first round of winners in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program. In total, approximately 700 exceptional high school seniors nationwide were selected for these scholarships, which are funded by about 115 corporations, company foundations and other business organizations.
The students were chosen from a pool of finalists who advanced through the competitive National Merit Scholarship process. To qualify, high school juniors entered the 2026 program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). Finalists were then selected based on academic records, test scores, school recommendations, and personal essays, as well as alignment with sponsor criteria.
Most of these awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and provide annual stipends that range from $1,000 to $10,000 per year. Some provide a single payment between $2,500 and $10,000. Recipients can use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university of their choice.
Winners of the $2,500 National Merit Scholarships will be revealed on May 13, followed by college-sponsored scholarship recipients on June 3 and July 13.
Join us in congratulating these Merit Scholars!
2026 IUSD Corporate-Sponsored Merit Scholars
Adithi Aia, Portola High School
Probable career field: Social Science
National Merit Boeing Scholarship
Connor Chan, University High School
Probable career field: Finance
National Merit Parker Hannifin Scholarship
Audrey Chen, Irvine High School
Probable career field: Medicine
National Merit Ellucian Scholarship
Michael X. Wen, Northwood High School
Probable career field: Aerospace Engineering
National Merit Nvidia Corporation Scholarship
Kerry Zhou, Portola High School
Probable career field: Medicine
National Merit Pfizer Inc. Scholarship
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