APS Students Earn National Merit Scholarships

Prestigious scholarships recognize students for their academic excellence.

More than a dozen Albuquerque Public Schools students who graduated this year have been announced as winners in the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. 

The APS graduates won a combination of corporate-sponsored scholarships, scholarships from colleges and universities and scholarships directly from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. 

Four APS students won corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarships:

• Silas Jones, a graduate of La Cueva High School, received the National Merit Northrop Grumman Scholarship. Jones plans to study electrical engineering.
• Alisa Quach of Eldorado High School won a National Merit Walgreen Co. Scholarship. Quach plans to study statistics.
• Mohammad A. Tanoli of Sandia High School also won a National Merit Walgreen Co. Scholarship. Tanoli plans to study medicine.
• And Rella Yarrington of La Cueva received a National Merit Battelle Scholarship. Yarrington plans to study psychology.

Six APS graduates earned college-sponsored Merit Scholarships. 

• Angus C. Gallegos of La Cueva won a National Merit University of New Mexico Scholarship. Gallegos plans to study biological engineering.
• Maia Gregson of La Cueva received a National Merit Texas A&M University Scholarship. Gregson plans to study biomedical engineering.
• Joaquin Ignacio Headley of La Cueva earned a National Merit UNM Scholarship. Headley plans to study mathematics.
• Sarah Elizabeth Martinez of Early College Academy won a National Merit Texas Tech University Scholarship. Martinez plans to study clinical psychology.
• Ryan Nguyen of La Cueva received a National Merit UNM Scholarship. Nguyen plans to study mechanical engineering. 
• And Kate Schoenwald of La Cueva earned a National Merit Purdue University Scholarship. Schoenwald plans to study biology. 

APS also had six National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners. The award is given to “Finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.” They were chosen from a pool of more than 15,000.

The APS winners are:

• Jacob T. Chodorow of La Cueva, who plans to study biochemistry.
• Eli Harvey Irwin Crowley of Sandia, who plans to pursue a career in foreign service. 
• Amandeep Prasankumar of La Cueva, who plans to pursue a career in medicine.
• Christabel Marie Thiel-Hadjilambrinos of La Cueva, who plans to study biochemistry.
• Lucas M. Riley of La Cueva, who plans to pursue a career in medical research.
• And Maizy Anna Galasso of Early College Academy, who plans to study Aerospace Engineering.

The annual academic competition is in its 70th year and is conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a nonprofit organization. Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements, including completing an application, having a consistently very high academic record, writing an essay, being endorsed and recommended by a school official, and taking the SAT or ACT and earning a score that confirms the PSAT/National Merit Scholar Qualifying Test performance.