2 EPHS seniors win National Merit scholarships

Two Eden Prairie High School seniors are among the first group of 2022 winners announced Wednesday, April 27, in the National Merit Scholarship Program. 

Sreya Patri, whose probable career field is listed as political science, won a National Merit Eaton Scholarship. The Eaton Charitable Fund sponsors awards for children of employees of Eaton Corp. 

Samir Sarma, whose probable career field is listed as materials engineering, won a National Merit Emerson Electric Co. Scholarship. Emerson’s Merit Scholarship awards recognize outstanding children of Emerson employees.

The first group of winners announced consists of about 1,000 high school seniors, 15 from Minnesota, recognized with corporate-sponsored awards from the 67th annual program. Those 1,000 were narrowed down from about 16,000 semi-finalists.

About 140 corporations, company foundations and other business organizations financed the awards.

Corporate sponsors provide National Merit scholarships for finalists who are children of their employees, residents of communities the company serves, or who plan to pursue college majors or careers the sponsor wishes to encourage.

Most of these awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and provide annual stipends that range from $1,000 to $10,000 per year. Some offer a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000. Recipients can use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university.

Recipients of National Merit $2,500 scholarships will be named on May 11 and winners of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards on June 1 and July 11. At the end of this year’s competition, about 7,500 academic champions will win National Merit scholarships worth about $28 million.