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Thirty-one students representing 12 Fairfax County high schools have each won a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship.
The students are among approximately 2,500 National Merit finalists selected nationwide for scholarships in 2026. Their awards are financed by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s own funds.
The Fairfax County winners and their probable career fields are:
- Madelyn Regan, Centreville High School — music
- Hansika Gautama, Chantilly High School — dentistry
- Anna Tung, Chantilly High School — biochemistry
- Jayden Nguyen, Falls Church High School — medicine
- Michaela Frey, Langley High School — urban and city planning
- Elliot Pomper, Langley High School — environmental science
- Aakriti Rustagi, Langley High School — business administration
- Manas Purl, Lake Braddock Secondary School — business economics
- Andrew Zi, Madison High School — computer science
- Julie Daniel, McLean High School — biomedical engineering
- Clement Ding, McLean High School — physics
- Chunjie Huang, Oakton High School — mechanical engineering
- Natalie Leong, Oakton High School — medicine
- Jessica Chen, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — computer science
- Breanne Grace Graham, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — medicine
- Justin Kim, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — medicine
- Rushil Kukreja, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — physics
- Caroline Li, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — medicine
- Justin Ma, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — computer science
- Zella Mantler, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — architecture
- Kavin Narayanan, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — aerospace engineering
- Viola Pande, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — computer science
- Aashritha Penumudi, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — medicine
- Juliet Phillips, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — wildlife conservation
- Sarah Trainer, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — classics
- Justin Yu, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — law
- Ella Zhang, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — economics
- Shaan Nagda, West Potomac High School — medicine
- Salban Nithilaselvan, Westfield High School — mathematics
- Ethan Lee, Woodson High School — biochemistry
- James Ngo, Woodson High School — computer science
Candidates were assessed on their academic records, the rigor of their coursework, grades and scores from two standardized tests. Evaluators also considered school and community leadership, personal essays and recommendations from high school officials.
The number of recipients selected in each state reflects that state’s share of graduating high school seniors nationwide. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation, rather than the school district, chooses the winners.