Twelve students from Horry County Schools are among the winners of the National Merit $2,500 Scholarship and they are:

• Isabella Aparicio-Morello and Reagan McQueen, Scholars Academy and Myrtle Beach High School
• Guoren Zhong and John Barnett, Scholars Academy and St. James High School
• Evan Barker, Scholars Academy and Socastee High School
• Adrian Anderson, St. James High School
• Hunter Kuperman, Michael Pikula, Nicole Ward, Derrick Wargo, Brooke Zavistaski and Cody King, Scholars Academy and Carolina Forest High School

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.