TOWSON, MD—Six 2024 Baltimore County Public Schools graduates are among the more than 2,900 distinguished high school seniors from across the nation who have earned college-sponsored National Merit® Scholarships.

• Aspiring nurse Nathan D. Brojan of Nottingham is a graduate of Eastern Technical High School. He was awarded a scholarship sponsored by Brigham Young University.
• Mingni L. Dong of Lutherville-Timonium, who last month was named a 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholar, was awarded a scholarship sponsored by the University of Maryland. The Dulaney High graduate plans to study computer science.
• Catonsville resident Enyu Ling, a graduate of Western School of Technology, earned a scholarship sponsored by the University of Maryland. Ling plans to study computer science.
• Lutherville-Timonium resident Akash E. Paranilam received a scholarship sponsored by the University of Maryland. The Dulaney High graduate anticipates a career in mechanical engineering (robotics).
• Cadence J. Scott of Baltimore, a graduate of Eastern Technical High School and an aspiring civil engineer, received a scholarship sponsored by Rochester Institute of Technology.
• Towson High School graduate and Towson resident Frank Zhang plans to study aerospace engineering. He received a scholarship sponsored by the University of Maryland.

The scholarship recipients were chosen from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. Colleges sponsoring National Merit scholarships offer selected finalists between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at their institutions.

This is the third announcement of National Merit Scholars in 2024 by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which named recipients of National Merit corporate-sponsored scholarships on April 24 and winners of National Merit $2,500 scholarships on May 8. Additional winners of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be announced on July 15. By the conclusion of this year’s competition, more than 6,870 finalists will have won National Merit Scholarships worth approximately $26 million.

2024 National Merit Scholarship Competition

High school juniors across the nation entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program when they took the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). Last fall, more than 16,000 semifinalists were designated on a state-representational basis in numbers proportional to each state’s percentage of the national total of graduating high school seniors. Semifinalists were the highest-scoring program entrants in each state and represented less than 1 percent of the nation’s seniors.

To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, semifinalists had to fulfill requirements to advance to finalist standing. Each semifinalist was 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 and be endorsed and recommended by a high school official. From the semifinalist group, more than 15,000 met finalist requirements.