Hanford, Richland high school seniors in first wave of National Merit scholarship awards

Six students from Richland and Hanford high schools are among those named in the first round of National Merit scholarship winners.

All six students were awarded corporate-sponsored scholarships. Five were provided by Battelle, the operator of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, while one was provided by Dow Chemical.

The amounts of the specific scholarships were not provided. Most can be renewed for up to four years of undergraduate study and provide between $500 to $10,000 per year. Some are for single awards between $2,500 and $5,000.

The locally winning students are:

▪  Nathan J. McDonald, Richland High School, intending to study chemical engineering

▪  Emily Q. Tan, Hanford High School, intending to study finance

▪  Michelle L. Wang, Hanford High School, intending to study medicine

▪  Ryan Wang, Hanford High School, intending to study computer science

▪  Laura M. Yoshida, Richland High School, intending to study computer science

▪  Brendan James Mitchell, Hanford High School, intending to study engineering

Thirty-one students in Washington state were among the more than 1,000 students nationally awarded a corporate-sponsored scholarship. Further National Merit scholarship announcements are scheduled in mid-May, early June and mid-July.

This story was originally published April 30, 2016 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Hanford, Richland high school seniors in first wave of National Merit scholarship awards."