{"id":11950,"date":"2026-06-03T21:02:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T21:02:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11950"},"modified":"2026-06-03T21:02:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T21:02:01","slug":"11-orange-county-high-school-students-among-2026-national-merit-scholars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11950","title":{"rendered":"11 Orange County high school students among 2026 National Merit Scholars"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Eleven Orange County high school students were among the more than 2,500 National Merit Scholar winners announced June 3, during the National Merit Scholarship Corporation\u2019s third wave of awards this year.<\/p>\n

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The NMSC said it expects to award roughly $24 million in scholarships to about 6,700 students in 2026.<\/p>\n

The awards, which are financed by 138 U.S. colleges and universities, are reserved for National Merit finalists who intend to enroll at the sponsoring school. Scholarships range from $500 to $2,000 per year, and can be renewed for up to four years of undergraduate study.<\/p>\n

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To qualify, students must take the 2024 PSAT\/NMSQT as juniors and advance through the semifinalist and finalist categories before competing for the sponsored awards. More than 230 Orange County students were among the 16,000 semifinalists across the country.<\/p>\n

Several local winners earned scholarships sponsored by USC and they are hoping to go into careers ranging from clinical psychology to biomedical engineering and entrepreneurship to design.<\/p>\n

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The recipients in Orange County, along with their schools, include:<\/p>\n