20 FUSD National Merit $2500 Scholarship winners

20 Fremont high school seniors were awarded this year’s National Merit $2500 Scholarship. The 2,500 Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding Finalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program.

National Merit $2500 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 named 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 both 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 (PSAT/NMSQT®); contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the Finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.

• Ishaan Agrawal | Probable career field: Computer Science | Irvington HS
• Bhavya Babbellapati | Probable career field: Electrical Engineering | Mission San Jose HS
• Arush Borole | Probable career field: Electrical Engineering | Mission San Jose HS
• Ryka C. Chopra | Probable career field: Academia | Mission San Jose HS
• Raghav M. Daga | Probable career field: Computer Science | American HS
• Ruhika Goel | Probable career field: Computer Science | American HS
• Avni Goyal | Probable career field: Software Engineering | Mission San Jose HS
• Gatik Goyal | Probable career field: Computer Science | Irvington HS
• Rithwik Gupta | Probable career field: Computer Science | Irvington HS
• Satyajith Kesanapally | Probable career field: Computer Science | Mission San Jose HS
• Roland Lee | Probable career field: Mechanical Engineering | Mission San Jose HS
• Jeffrey Li | Probable career field: Engineering | Mission San Jose HS
• Michael Liu | Probable career field: Computer Engineering | Mission San Jose HS
• Taariq Mohamed | Probable career field: Computer Science | Irvington HS
• Michelle P. Nguyen | Probable career field: Academia | Irvington HS
• Jane Park | Probable career field: Business | American HS
• Poorv Patil | Probable career field: Computer Science | Irvington HS
• Rishi Ranga | Probable career field: Computer Engineering | Washington HS
• Ruhi Shah | Probable career field: Software Engineering | American HS
• Brandon Wang | Probable career field: Mechanical Engineering | Mission San Jose HS