Six Milpitas HS students named 2022 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

A half dozen Milpitas High School students were recently selected as Semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. They are among about 16,000 students nationwide in the 67th annual NMSP to earn the designation based on results from the Preliminary SAT exam. In February, these six students will be notified if they have advanced to Finalist standing, which then qualifies them for about 7,500 scholarships worth nearly $30 million.

Let’s find out a little about each of them:

Brian Dinh
What does being named a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist mean to you?
Being named as a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist represents the hours I spent studying and working on myself coming to fruition. In addition, I am elated to possibly get financial relief for my college education through this title.

What / Who motivates you to succeed at such a high level?
My brother motivates me to succeed at a high level, as he taught me how to have a healthy work ethic while encouraging me to explore outside of my parents' interests.

What is your favorite subject in school, and why?
My favorite subject is social science, because I enjoy learning the stories of the past as a means to represent marginalized groups and figuring out how to prevent these sorts of oppression from occurring again in present society.

What college would you like to attend after graduating MHS, and why?
Currently, I would like to attend Northwestern University after graduating MHS, because I believe they have a healthy campus culture that will let me thrive. Also, I think that Northwestern heavily promotes exploration, which would allow me to experiment with other topics I am interested in.

Aaryaman Jain
What does being named a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist mean to you?
I’m proud of myself for being named a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist. 

What / Who motivates you to succeed at such a high level?
I try to motivate myself to succeed at a high level. I’m not satisfied with something until I do it properly.

What is your favorite subject in school, and why?
I’ve enjoyed history classes because I like learning about the past and how it shaped the future.

What college would you like to attend after graduating MHS, and why?
I’d think I’d like to go to college outside of California. Looking forward to experiencing new things.

Hirva Shah
What does being named a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist mean to you?
Being a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist feels great since my hard work paid off.

What / Who motivates you to succeed at such a high level?
My parents have always motivated me to do well in school. I know they have worked hard to be able to come here, which inspires me to do the same.

What is your favorite subject in school, and why?
My favorite subject is psychology because I loved learning about the different factors that influence human behavior and thinking.

What college would you like to attend after graduating MHS, and why?
I’m not sure exactly which school I want to go to, but I am interested in some of the UCs for their neuroscience major.

Ryan Teoh
What does being named a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist mean to you?
Well, it means that I did well, and that's good for me I guess. However, I still have to wait to see if I become a Finalist, and that’s what I’m really looking for. 

What / Who motivates you to succeed at such a high level?
Definitely my dad, he sacrificed a lot to come to America and give my brother and I more opportunities than we would have had in Malaysia, and I don’t want that to go to waste, so I’m really working hard to not waste my opportunities for success.

What is your favorite subject in school, and why?
Definitely social studies, first because I love politics, and second because I love history. History is basically all about politics, and I love learning about historical events and what caused them, because who knows, maybe there’s something I could learn about in order to deal with present issues. 

What college would you like to attend after graduating MHS, and why?
I want to go to the University of Pennsylvania because of all the talent there, and the great location. I could meet so many different people who are at the top of their fields in whatever major they’re studying, and have already changed the world in some tangible way. Philadelphia is also a great city, and it's located in the tri-state area, meaning there are so many different places I could go from there. I’ve also always wanted to stay on the east coast, and get away from California weather. They’ve also got some sick mountain biking trails over there in the city outskirts, which I’m looking forward to bombing.

Chloe Yeap
What does being named a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist mean to you?
Being a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist is a huge relief to me. I worked really hard to get here, but I still wasn't sure if I was smart enough to achieve my goals. So getting to see all my hard work pay off is really rewarding. 

What / Who motivates you to succeed at such a high level?
My parents work hard to give me the opportunities I have, so I work hard so they know I appreciate their love. I also work hard for my grandparents, who've always been so supportive, even though I visit them every few years and they don't always understand what I'm doing. 

What is your favorite subject in school, and why?
My favorite subject is either English or Social Studies because I love reading and thinking about what’s happening. Biology gets honorable mentions because it’s the only science subject I like.

What college would you like to attend after graduating MHS, and why?
I’m still figuring out how far I’m going, but my top contenders are: UC Davis for their neurobiology-physiology-behavior major, UC San Diego for their biology program, Carleton College for their liberal arts education style, University of Chicago for their biology and neuroscience majors, and Columbia for their biophysics department. 

Rachel Yen
What does being named a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist mean to you?
To me, being named a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist means recognition for all the hard work I put in and allows others to see the potential I have. It honestly feels great to know that I’m receiving this award due to all the effort I put in. 

What / Who motivates you to succeed at such a high level?
My motivation started when my mom began to push me to succeed in school. Over time, I adopted that mindset and began to strive to be the best I can be in all areas of my life. At high levels of academics, my classmates also play a role in my motivation to succeed due to my friendly competitive spirit. 

What is your favorite subject in school, and why?
My favorite subjects in school are the STEM related subjects, more specifically calculus or chemistry. I particularly enjoy the definitive answers and the logic it takes to reason my way through each problem. Moreover, I find that I take interest in applying calculus or chemistry concepts in real life situations, which is why these classes truly appeal to me. 

What college would you like to attend after graduating MHS, and why?
Since there are a few months before college decisions have to be made, I can’t say there’s a college I would definitely want to attend. However, the preferred schools I’d like to attend include the top UC schools. Not only do these two colleges have amazing engineering programs, they’re also close to home!