Richland One Student Wins National Merit Scholarship

COLUMBIA, SC – Jinyu Gao, a Dreher High School student, is among the 51 South Carolina high school seniors to win a highly prestigious National Merit Scholarship financed by colleges and universities across the nation. Winners were announced May 28 by the National Merit Scholarship Program, which awarded more than 2,500 scholarships nationwide.

Jinyu received a National Merit Scholarship from the University of South Carolina, where he plans to pursue a career in computer engineering. In addition to being a Richland One Academic All-Star, he is a member of the Dreher Academic Decathlon team that is currently ranked 13^th in the nation. During that competition Jinyu won a silver medal in science and a cash award for being South Carolina’s top scorer.

Colleges and universities select scholarship winners from among the finalists in the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institutions. The awards provide $500 to $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study. To date, four Richland One students have received National Merit Scholarships. An additional group of Scholars will be announced on July 14.