Cypress Woods High School senior Benjamin Yonas is congratulated by Dr. Mark, Henry, CFISD superintendent of schools, during the CFISD Recognition Ceremony for the 67th annual National Merit/College Board National Recognition Programs in April at the Berry Center. Yonas joined Cypress Falls High School senior Jenny Lu and Langham Creek High School senior Ashvin Ramabadran in being announced as National Merit $2,500 scholarship winners on May 11.

May 20, 2022—Cypress Falls High School senior Jenny Lu, Cypress Woods High School senior Benjamin Yonas and Langham Creek High School senior Ashvin Ramabadran were among those announced as the National Merit $2,500 scholarship winners on May 11. The 2,500 total recipients were chosen from more than 15,000 outstanding finalists in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Scholarship winners are finalists from each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The total number of winners in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.

Lu, Yonas and Ramabadran were among 227 scholarship recipients from Texas.

Cypress Falls High School senior Jenny Lu was selected as a National Merit $2,500 scholarship winner. She’s among 2,500 total recipients chosen from more than 15,000 outstanding finalists in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program. (Photo by Hailey Jackson, Cypress Falls HS)

Scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the finalists and their high schools. That included academic records, scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT), contributions and leadership in school and community activities, an essay written by the finalist and a recommendation written by a high school official.

This year’s National Merit Scholarship Program began in October 2020 when high school juniors took the PSAT/NMSQT, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The highest-scoring participants in each state, representing less than 1 percent of the nation’s high school seniors, were named semifinalists on a state-representational basis last fall. More than 16,000 semifinalists had an opportunity to continue in the competition.

Langham Creek High School senior Ashvin Ramabadran was among three CFISD seniors announced as National Merit $2,500 scholarship winners on May 11. The trio was chosen from more than 15,000 outstanding finalists in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program.

More than 15,000 semifinalists met the very high academic standards and other requirements to advance in the competition. By the conclusion of the 2022 program, approximately 7,500 finalists will have earned the “Merit Scholar” title and received a total of nearly $28 million in college scholarships.