Seven North Shore students were honored in the third round of National Merit Scholarship announcements this year.
David Yao and Esther Zhu from Great Neck South High School, Nicole Garcia, Nicolas Ryan and Brian Yang of Herricks High School and Andrew Batteria and Walter Stackler from Manhasset High School were named among the 3,500 winners of the college-sponsored Merit Scholarships.
The scholarships provide $500 to $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate time at the school financing the scholarship. This year, 178 institutions are underwriting the scholarships, including 100 private and 78 public universities in 44 states and the District of Columbia.
Great Neck South High School Guidance Counselor Gillian O’Connell said Yao, who was awarded the National Merit Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Scholarship and plans to study biomedical engineering, is an outgoing, energetic student who wants to help people.
A member of the Asian Culture Club, Yao also plays volleyball and has been an active member of the student body, O’Connell said, and an esteemed fencer for the school’s team.
Zhu, who was awarded the National Merit Boston University Scholarship and plans to study economics, is a polite and compassionate student, O’Connell said, who has joined a number of diverse clubs during her high school career and has played the violin since she was 4 years old.
“Herricks High School is incredibly proud of the accomplishments of these young men and women on receiving this very prestigious accomplishment,” Herricks High School Principal James Ruck said. “Their success is a reflection of their status as true scholars, as evidenced by their consistent outstanding performances in their rigorous and challenging course loads throughout their high school careers.
“Their teachers have always set incredible standards for them to reach and as individuals, Nicole, Nicholas and Brian have always risen to the challenge.”
Garcia was awarded the National Merit Villanova University Scholarship and plans to study forensics and Ryan and Yang were both awarded the National Merit Northeastern University Scholarship.
Ryan plans to study bioengineering, and Yang is seeking a career in computer science.
In Manhasset, Batteria was awarded the National Merit Tufts University Scholarship and plans to study economics. Stackler was awarded the National Merit Carleton College Scholarship and plans to study geology.
