Two Ridgefield Students Named National Merit Scholars in First Round of 2025 Awards
Ridgefield is proudly represented in the first wave of 2025 National Merit Scholarship winners, with two Ridgefield High School seniors earning prestigious corporate-sponsored awards from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®).
William H. Carter, whose probable career field is Mechanical Engineering, was named a recipient of the National Merit Paramount Scholarship. He joins Pranati R. Sathyagal, who plans to pursue Economics and was awarded the National Merit PepsiCo Foundation Scholarship.
These two exceptional students are among approximately 830 scholars nationwide who received corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarships in this first round of announcements. The awards are financed by about 124 corporations and foundations and are given to students who met rigorous Finalist qualifications and demonstrated academic excellence, leadership, and alignment with the sponsor's mission.
Carter’s scholarship is backed by Paramount Global, a mass media company encompassing CBS, Showtime, CBS Sports Network and more—supporting future leaders in fields like media, engineering, and beyond.
Each award can be used at any accredited U.S. college or university. Most are renewable and provide annual stipends, while some—like Carter and Sathyagal’s—are one-time awards ranging between $2,500 and $5,000.
More National Merit winners will be announced on May 7, June 4, and July 14, including those receiving $2,500 and college-sponsored scholarships. In total, more than 6,930 students nationwide will be recognized this year, receiving awards totaling around $26 million.
To learn more about the National Merit Scholarship Program, visit:
https://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/start.aspx?gid=2&pgid=61