National Merit Scholarship Corporation released the names of the first group of winners in the 61st National Merit Scholarship Program. More than 1,000 distinguished high school seniors have won corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship awards financed by about 200 corporations, company foundations and other business organizations.
Two GISD students were announced as winners. Brent J. Matyas from Sachse HS won the National Merit Raytheon scholarship. His probable field of student will be aerospace engineering. Raytheon Company is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security, and civil markets throughout the world. Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and capabilities in various areas: sensing; effects; command, control, communications and intelligence systems; cybersecurity; and a broad range of mission support services.
Paige M. Rigsby from Garland HS won the Jerry R. Junkins Memorial scholarship from Texas Instruments. Paige will most likely study chemical engineering. Texas Instruments Incorporated and its employees have strong commitments to supporting excellence in education at all levels. To recognize and reward educational excellence and achievement by our students and their families, each child of a TI employee who achieves finalist status in the National Merit Program is awarded a TI-sponsored Merit Scholarship award.
Scholars were selected from students who advanced to the finalist level in the competition and met criteria of their scholarship sponsors. Corporate sponsors provide National Merit Scholarships for finalists who are children of their employees, who are residents of communities the company serves or who plan to pursue college majors or careers the sponsor wishes to encourage. Most of these awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and provide annual stipends that range from $500 to $10,000 per year.
Some provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000. Recipients can use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university of their choice.
By the conclusion of the 2016 competition, about 7,500 finalists will have been selected to receive scholarships totaling about $33 million. Winners are the finalist candidates judged to have the strongest combination of academic skills and achievements, extracurricular accomplishments and potential for success in rigorous college studies.