2 Henrico students earn National Merit Scholarships

Two Henrico students were among 14 from Virginia who were named winners in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

Qingyuan Hu and Sandor Preda, both students at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School in Richmond and residents of Glen Allen, were among about 770 students nationally selected for the program.

The scholarships, most of which provide up to four years of college and an annual payment of between $1,000 and $10,000, are sponsored by 94 corporations, foundations and other businesses. Both Hu and Preda earned the National Merit Truist Scholarship; students who are children of Truist employees are eligible for the Truist awards.

Hu intends to go into the mathematics field, while Preda hopes to go into the computer engineering field.

The Virginia winners were selected from students who advanced to the final round of the competition, which took place in September 2023. They were assessed on academic merit, extracurricular activities, leadership and other criteria.

To advance to the final round, semifinalists were asked to complete a detailed scholarship application, which included writing an essay and providing information about extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions. Semifinalists also had to have an outstanding academic record, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirmed their qualifying test performance. From the semifinalist group, more than 15,000 met finalist requirements.

By the conclusion of the 2024 competition, more than 6,870 finalists will have 
been selected to receive National Merit Scholarships totaling nearly $26 million.

Scholarship recipients can use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university of their choice.

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