Twenty-three Arkansas seniors are among 2,500 students nationally to be named recipients of $2,500 scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corp.
National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in college studies. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state's percentage of the nation's graduating high school seniors.
The Arkansas students, their high schools and their probable career fields are listed here, alphabetically by city:
ARKADELPHIA
Calvin R. Clardy, Arkadelphia High, aerospace engineering.
BENTONVILLE
Aryan Mahajan, Bentonville High, computer science.
Katherine G. Pearce, Bentonville High, computer science.
Dinesh T. Vasireddy, Bentonville High, computer science.
BLYTHEVILLE
Sameer Mittal, KIPP Blytheville Collegiate High, medicine.
CONWAY
Ella G. Boudrie, Conway High, law.
Antonio J. Jimenez, Conway High, chemical engineering.
FAYETTEVILLE
Cameron B. Caston, Fayetteville High, neuroscience.
Le Janet Fu, Fayetteville High, finance.
FORT SMITH
Tu M. Nguyen Fort Smith Southside High, finance.
GREENWOOD
David Ambriz, Greenwood High, software engineering.
HARRISON
Eliana M. Adamos, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts in Hot Springs, biomedical engineering.
LITTLE ROCK
Jacob M. Cooley of Little Rock, Episcopal Collegiate School, engineering.
Jessica Doss, Little Rock Central High, medicine.
Adison D. Halbert, Little Rock Christian Academy, pediatric psychology.
Aaron C. Liu, Little Rock Central High, biochemistry.
Mariam T. Parray, Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, undecided.
PEARCY
Austin C. Barnes of Pearcy, Lake Hamilton High, biochemical engineering.
ROGERS
Devlin P. Zamarron, Haas Hall Academy, Rogers, biology
SEARCY
Gaby E. Sledge, Searcy High, medicine
SPRINGDALE
Sophia E. Barnes, Har-Ber High, undecided
Nathaniel Kingsbury, Har-Ber High, computer science
WHITE HALL
Charis Xiong of White Hall, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts in Hot Springs, statistics.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was founded in 1955 specifically to conduct the National Merit Scholarship Program. The majority of scholarships offered each year are underwritten by approximately 340 independent corporate and college sponsors to honor scholastically talented youth and encouraging academic excellence at all levels of education.
About 840 recipients of corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards were named last month, and in June and July, some 3,800 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners will be announced. By the conclusion of this year's competition, more than 7,140 new high school graduates will have won National Merit Scholarships worth approximately $28 million.