Fifteen Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) students from six high schools have been named winners of 2022 Merit Scholarship awards by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). The students are part of a group of more than 2,600 National Merit® finalists chosen to receive scholarships financed by higher education institutions. 

Winners of the scholarships, with their probable career fields in parentheses, are:

• Harold Margeta-Cacace of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) (mathematics), National Merit Texas Tech University scholarship.
• Anuj Khemka of TJHSST (computer science), National Merit University of South Florida scholarship.
• Benjamin Trey Cho of Westfield High School (undecided), National Merit University of Alabama scholarship.
• Nitin Kanchinadam of TJHSST (computer science), National Merit University of Maryland scholarship.
• Ilse Helene Eskelsen of Woodson High School (writing), National Merit Brigham Young University scholarship.
• Candace Sun of TJHSST (computer science), National Merit University of Maryland scholarship.
• Pratyush Jaishanker of TJHSST (environmental science), National Merit University of Southern California scholarship.
• Adithi Prasad of Westfield High School (business administration), National Merit University of Southern California scholarship.
• Juliana Toro of McLean High School (undecided), National Merit Fordham University scholarship.
• Nathan Ho of Herndon High School (computer engineering), National Merit University of Maryland scholarship.
• Jillian Schmid of Herndon High School (industrial design), National Merit Rochester Institute of Technology scholarship.
• William Jiang of TJHSST (computer science), National Merit Purdue University scholarship.
• Anna Hsu of TJHSST (computer engineering), National Merit University of Southern California scholarship.
• Zion Kim of Marshall High School (law), National Merit Fordham University scholarship.
• Elena Rangelov of TJHSST (computer programming), National Merit University of Maryland scholarship.

Each scholarship winner was evaluated on his or her academic record; an essay and information about extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions; SAT scores that confirmed outstanding test performance; and a recommendation and endorsement from a high school official. Each award provides between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the recipient’s scholarship.

The final group of NMSC scholarship recipients from the class of 2022 will be named in July.

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