Corporate-Sponsored Merit Scholarship Winners Named

EVANSTON, Ill. — National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) on April 20 released the names of the first group of winners in the 61st annual 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.

Scholars were selected from students who advanced to the finalist level in the National Merit Scholarship 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.

The winners include:

• Geoffrey Hikaru Harrison of Danville, a student at San Ramon Valley High School in Danville. Probable career field: Statistics. He will receive the National Merit chevron Scholarship.

With approximately 59,000 employees, Chevron Corporation is a world-leading integrated energy company, with subsidiaries that conduct business across the globe. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and other energy products; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops and commercializes the energy resources of the future.

• Tanner Z. Yamada of Manhattan Beach, a student at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. Probable career field: Chemistry. He will receive the National Merit Northrop Grumman Scholarship.

Northrop Grumman Corp., based in Los Angeles, is a global corporation primarily serving the defense and electronic systems requirements of governments, commerce, and industry in the U.S. and friendly nations around the world. Northrop Grumman annually supports Merit Scholarship awards for the sons and daughters of employees.

• Samuel H. Morimoto of Mountain View, a student at Los Altos High School in Los Altos. Probable career field: Law. He will receive the National Merit SRI International Scholarship.

Innovations from SRI International have created new industries, billions of dollars of marketplace value, and lasting benefits to society — touching our lives every day. Government and business clients come to SRI, a nonprofit research and development institute based in Silicon Valley, for pioneering research and development. Sponsoring scholarships for its employees’ children supports its mission of scientific discovery and knowledge, and will help prepare students for the innovation economy.

For more information on this and other NMSC scholarships, visit www.nationalmerit.org.