Trio of Rio Rancho students are National Merit Scholarship finalists

On May 7, National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced this year’s National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners. Those Merit Scholar designees, including three from Rio Rancho, were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding finalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Cleveland High students Michael Dryga and Graciela Rodriguez are finalists, as is Rio Ranchoan Paige Nitti, who attends Explore Academy in Albuquerque.

“Michael is an exceptional student whose passion for mathematics and science is evident in every aspect of his academic and extracurricular pursuits,” CHS counselor Jessica Vreeland said. “In addition to his outstanding academic record, Michael is a proud member of the National Honor Society, Key Club and currently serves as the vice president of the Creative Writing Club. He plans to attend The University of Texas-Dallas in the fall.”

Rodriguez, Vreeland said, “is a remarkable student who has consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication, intelligence, and an unwavering commitment to her education. Graciela's passion for science and technology is evident in her four-year commitment to the Storming STEM club, and her leadership as the president of the speech and debate team and the president of the Key Club. Graciela is planning to attend MIT in the fall to pursue her passion.”

Nitti, a native of Maryland who is passionate about leadership, law, international diplomacy and building community, “is a very talented, bright young woman; she’s generous with her time and passionate — she volunteers for us and helps the children’s chorus — for the last four years,” said Neal Shotwell of Creative Crossroads.

Nitti said she’ll attend Connecticut College and major in international relations.

National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The number of winners in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.

These scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by the finalists and their high schools: the academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.

On April 24, about 770 recipients of corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards were named, and on June 5 and July 15, some 3,600 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners will be announced. By the conclusion of this year’s competition, more than 6,870 academic champions will have won National Merit Scholarships worth approximately $26 million.

The National Merit Scholarship Program process began in October 2022 when high school juniors took the PSAT/NMSQT, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. Last fall, the highest-scoring participants in each state, representing less than 1% of the nation’s high school seniors, were named semifinalists on a state-representational basis. More than 16,000 semifinalists had an opportunity to continue in the competition. From the semifinalist group, more than 15,000 students met the very high academic standards and other requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition.

By the conclusion of the 2024 program, more than 6,870 finalists will have earned the “Merit Scholar” title and received a total of nearly $26 million in college scholarships. NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was founded in 1955 specifically to conduct the National Merit Scholarship Program.

The majority of scholarships offered each year are underwritten by approximately 320 independent corporate and college sponsors that share NMSC’s goals of honoring scholastically talented youth and encouraging academic excellence at all levels of education.