The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the college-sponsored scholarship winners on June 3 in Los Angeles County.
National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced over 2,500 winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities. Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among the finalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institution.
These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.
An additional group of scholars will be announced in July, bringing the total number of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship recipients in the 2026 competition to approximately 3,500.
This year, 138 higher education institutions are underwriting Merit Scholarship awards through the National Merit Scholarship Program. Sponsor colleges and universities include 69 private and 69 public institutions located in 42 states and the District of Columbia.
College-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners announced today are a part of the distinguished group of about 6,700 high school seniors who will receive National Merit Scholarships for college undergraduate study worth nearly $24 million.
Here is the list of winners in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program in Los Angeles County by their high school location, the high school name, and the college-sponsored scholarship they were awarded:
Cerritos
Gretchen Whitney HS
Vivasvat Binny, University of Southern California scholarship
Chatsworth
Sierra Canyon School
Aiden Slava Gofnung, University of Southern California scholarship
Culver City
Culver City HS
Rhys E. Johnson, Tufts University scholarship
Diamond Bar
Diamond Bar HS
Cristina Lin, University of Southern California scholarship
La Cañada Flintridge
La Cañada HS
Madison Lee, University of Southern California scholarship
North Hollywood
North Hollywood HS
Natalie N. Olinger, Michigan State University scholarship
Redondo Beach
Redondo Union HS
Katelyn S. Kang, University of Southern California scholarship
Mackenzie Thomson, University of Southern California scholarship
Santa Clarita
Academy of the Canyons
Aiden Chung, Case Western Reserve University scholarship
San Marino
San Marino HS
Winston L. Chou, University of Southern California scholarship
Ryan Hun Lee, University of Southern California scholarship
Sherman Oaks
Notre Dame HS
Alexander Braithwaite, Auburn University scholarship
Benedict H. Cruz, University of Southern California scholarship
South Pasadena
South Pasadena HS
Rose Vandevelde, Tufts University scholarship
Studio City
Harvard-Westlake School
Hudson T. Lake, Vanderbilt University scholarship
William L. Rosen, Vanderbilt University scholarship
Westlake Village
Westlake HS
Khushi Gowda, University of Texas at Dallas scholarship
Background of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation was established in 1955 and is an independent, not-for-profit group that does not operate with government assistance.
The goals of the organization are to reward academically-dedicated students, encourage academic excellence at all levels of education, promote a deeper respect for learning in general and to encourage individuals and organizations to sponsor scholarships.
The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who demonstrate “exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.” nationalmerit.org/s/1758/start.aspx?gid=2&pgid=61