Seven Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) students have been awarded 2024 corporate-sponsored scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. The students are part of a group of more than 770 National Merit finalists chosen to receive scholarships financed by corporations, company foundations, and other business organizations.

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

• Harika Akundi of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) (aerospace engineering), National Merit General Dynamics Corporation Scholarship. 
• Ishara Shanmugasundaram of TJHSST (computer science), National Merit General Dynamics Corporation Scholarship. 
• Nathaniel Kurland of Woodson High School (engineering), National Merit Boeing Scholarship.
• Alina Yanzi Chen of TJHSST (finance), National Merit General Dynamics Corporation Scholarship. 
• Kinnari Chaubal of TJHSST (biochemistry), National Merit Leidos, Inc. Scholarship.
• Claire Peng of TJHSST (neuroscience), National Merit Dr. James R. Schlesinger Memorial Scholarship.
• Rishabh Prabhu of TJHSST (quantitative analysis), National Merit GEICO Scholarship. 

Corporate sponsors provide merit scholarship awards for National Merit finalists who are children of their employees, who are residents of communities the companies serve, or who have college majors or career interests the sponsors want to encourage.

Corporate-sponsored merit scholarship awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and range from $1,000 to $10,000 per year.  Others provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000.  Recipients can use the awards at regionally accredited U.S. colleges or universities of their choice.

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