TOWSON, MD—A Baltimore County Public Schools senior senior has been awarded a National Merit Scholarship, one of the most prestigious awards given to U.S. high school students.
Athena W. Zhou, a resident of Parkton and student at Hereford High School, was one of approximately 830 students nationwide to receive the corporate-sponsored scholarship. Zhou earned the National Merit Bentley Systems Scholarship, sponsored by Bentley Systems, Inc., a leading global provider of software solutions for sustaining infrastructure.
Zhou plans to pursue a career in computer science. She is currently a legislative intern for the Maryland General Assembly and a part-time tutor. Her extracurricular activities demonstrate her well-roundedness: co-founder of the Computer Science Club, treasurer of Future Business Leaders of America, leadership council member of the Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society, qualifying for the VEX Robotics World Championship, the Maryland All-State Junior Orchestra (as a cellist), and the Maryland State Tennis Championships.
National Merit Scholarships are awarded to finalists in the National Merit Scholarship competition who meet criteria specified by corporate sponsors. These scholarships are typically renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study and provide stipends ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 per year.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®) will announce National Merit® $2,500 Scholarship winners on May 7 and college-sponsored Merit Scholarship award winners on June 4 and July 14. By the conclusion of the 2025 competition, over 6,930 students will have received scholarships worth approximately $26 million.
This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.
Photo via BCPS
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