Two Sonoma County students have been named National Merit Scholarship winners, according to the Illinois-based not-for-profit organization.
Jason Lawler, a senior at Cardinal Newman High School, and Xiaoyi "Michelle" Shao, a senior at Maria Carrillo High School, won $2,500 National Merit Scholarships.
The winners were the finalists judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies, according to the organization.
The students were named National Merit Semifinalists based on results from PSAT scores taken in their junior year.
About 90 percent of the 16,000 semifinalists nationwide typically advance to become finalists and more than half of those receive $2,500 scholarships and other financial awards, according to the organization.
Sonoma County had three Merit Scholars in 2011.
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