2 Tri-City students earn prestigious Battelle National Merit scholarships
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Two Tri‑City seniors received National Merit corporate-sponsored scholarships.
- Victor Petyuk of Richland High plans to study engineering.
- Emma Yuan of Hanford High plans to study financial quantitative analysis.
Two Tri-City high school seniors were named recipients Wednesday of prestigious National Merit scholarships financed by the nonprofit that operates the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
The distinguished students are part of the 18 Washington state winners who will be awarded 2026 National Merit scholarships supported by corporations, foundations or nonprofits. Nationwide, 700 students will be recognized with these types of scholarships from 115 organizations.
Total awards were not listed by National Merit, but most are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and provide annual stipends, ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. Some provide just a single payment of $2,500 to $5,000.
“Scholars were selected from students who advanced to the finalist level in the National Merit Scholarship competition and met criteria of their scholarship sponsors,” a news release read. “Corporate sponsors provide National Merit Scholarships for finalists who are children of their employees, who are residents of communities the company serves, or who plan to pursue college majors or careers the sponsor wishes to encourage.”
These two Tri-City students will take home the National Merit Battelle Scholarship.
- Victor Petyuk of Richland High School, who plans to study engineering.
- Emma Yuan of Hanford High School, who plans to study financial quantitative analysis.
Richland High Principal Nicole Anderson said students like Petyuk “make our Bomber community proud, and we are excited to see the impact he will make in the future.”
“We are incredibly proud of Victor and this well-deserved honor. He represents the very best of Richland High School through his leadership, dedication and commitment to learning,” she said in a statement.
Hanford Principal Mike Johnson said Yuan has an “exceptional academic ability paired with humility, character and a genuine commitment to learn.”
“Being named a National Merit finalist is an incredible achievement, and we are incredibly proud of her,” he said in a statement.
This is the first group of scholarship recipients to be announced this year.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which oversees the program, will name winners of the $2,500 National Merit scholarship on May 13. Recipients of college-sponsored National Merit awards will be revealed on June 3 and July 13.
By the end of the 2026 competition, about 6,700 high-achieving seniors will have won scholarships valued at a total $24 million.
These students are among the most academically accomplished in the nation. They entered the program as juniors when they took the 2024 Preliminary SAT exam, which served as a screener.
More than 1.3 million students across 20,000 high schools took the test. About 16,000 semifinalists were identified based on their high scores, including five in the Tri-Cities.
These students represent less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors and are the highest-scoring PSAT test takers in the class of 2026. The number of semifinalists per state is proportional to the state’s percentage of total graduating seniors nationwide.
But to be considered for a National Merit scholarship, students must fulfill several requirements to become a finalist, ranging from their academic record and test scores to school and community activities and leadership work.
About 15,000 of the 16,000 semifinalists are expected to become finalists and will be notified in February. But just half of National Merit finalists will go on to win scholarships and earn the title of Merit Scholar.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is an Evanston, Illinois-based nonprofit established in 1955 to conduct the program. This is the 71st annual program.
