Thirteen Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) students from six high schools have been named winners of 2024 Merit Scholarship awards by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). The students are part of a group of more than 2,900 National Merit® Finalists chosen to receive scholarships financed by higher education institutions. 

Winners of the scholarships, with their probable career fields in parentheses, are:

• Ryan Liu of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) (biology), National Merit University of Texas at Dallas Scholarship.
• Benjamin Rubin of TJHSST (mathematics), National Merit Washington and Lee University Scholarship.
• Andrew Zanotti of Westfield High School (computer science), National Merit Brigham Young University Scholarship.
• Austin Thomas of TJHSST (computer science), National Merit University of Maryland Scholarship. 
• Anusha Das of TJHSST (bioengineering), National Merit University of Minnesota Scholarship. 
• Ryan Yi of TJHSST (computer science), National Merit University of Maryland Scholarship.
• Amelia Thomason of Marshall High School (computer science), National Merit University of Maryland Scholarship.
• Jolie Wu of Langley High School (computer science), National Merit University of Maryland Scholarship.
• Sanjay Ranjith of TJHSST (engineering), National Merit Purdue University Scholarship. 
• Brij Bhagat of TJHSST (mechanical engineering), National Merit University of Texas at Dallas Scholarship.
• Nathan Bass of McLean High School (law), National Merit University of Southern California Scholarship. 
• Lawrence Yang of TJHSST (finance), National Merit University of Southern California Scholarship. 
• Kieran Roundy of Madison High School (computer programming), National Merit University of Texas at Dallas Scholarship.

Each scholarship winner was evaluated on his or her academic record; an essay and information about extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions; SAT scores that confirmed outstanding test performance; and a recommendation and endorsement from a high school official. Each award provides between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the recipient’s scholarship.

The final group of NMSC scholarship recipients from the class of 2024 will be named in July.

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