Hillsborough County Public Schools -

Tampa, Fl. (June 5, 2025) – Hillsborough County Public  Schools (HCPS) is proud to announce thirty students have been named College-Sponsored National Merit Scholarship winners, by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®).

This scholarship is financed by U.S. colleges and universities and will provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the awarding institution. Students were chosen from a pool of more than 15,000 outstanding students in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.

These Scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, based on their academic record, including difficulty 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.

"We are incredibly proud of the thirty Hillsborough County students who have earned this prestigious award. Their dedication and perseverance have led them to this achievement, and the entire school district celebrates their success," said Superintendent Van Ayres.

to HCPS National Merit Scholarship winners:

Samuel B. Bleeze, Newsome | University of Florida

Alan W. Burke, Jr., Hillsborough | University of Florida

Nicolas J. Bartley, Gaither | Embry-Riddle

Roham Farhadi, Freedom | University of Florida

Adeline L. Habgood, Hillsborough | University of Central Florida

Beckett G. Jones, Tampa Bay Technical | University of Florida

Caleb K. Joseph, Alonso | University of Florida

Rishi N. Kamdar, Robinson | University of Florida

Siah E. Kennedy, Newsome | University of Florida

Hannah R. Khan, Strawberry Crest | University of South Florida

Cooper J. Lynn, Plant | University of Florida

Grace M. Mihiral, Strawberry Crest | University of Florida

Riley E. Nichols, Plant | Tulane

Min Joo Mary Noh, Hillsborough | University of Florida

Rohit S. Paranjape, Hillsborough | University of Florida

Devan D. Patel, Robinson | University of Florida

Sophia V. Pergola, Newsome, | University of Florida

Grace R. Qiang, Hillsborough | University of Florida

Kaydence Rao, Steinbrenner | University of Florida

Bradley J. Roberts, Newsome | University of Central Florida

Madison M. Sergent, Steinbrenner | University of Florida

Swathi S. Shenoy, Steinbrenner | University of Florida

Derek Sung, King | University of Florida

Vanshika Vardhan Takkalapalli, Strawberry Crest | University of South Florida

Anirudh Sudharshan Vijayaraman, Newsome | University of Florida

Justin Zixuan Wu, Armwood | University of Florida

Zoey A. Yarter, Strawberry Crest | Purdue University

Tyler K. Yee, King | University of Florida

Jessica L. Yang, Steinbrenner | University of Florida

Joseph Zhang, Strawberry Crest | University of Florida