Meet the 2023 National Merit College-Sponsored Scholarship Winners 

Broward County Public Schools congratulates 25 outstanding high school seniors who have been named winners of the prestigious National Merit College-sponsored Scholarships by the esteemed National Merit Scholarship Corporation. 

Included are students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Coral Springs High School, and Monarch High School — all of who have won scholarships to the University of Florida.

These remarkable individuals have been selected by officials from their respective sponsor colleges, with the scholarships being awarded to those who have demonstrated exceptional academic prowess and intend to pursue their higher education at these institutions.

The National Merit College-sponsored Scholarships provide financial support ranging from $500 to $2,000 annually, renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study at the colleges funding the scholarships. With the inclusion of these remarkable BCPS students, the 2023 competition has now produced approximately 3,800 recipients of College-sponsored National Merit Scholarships.

BCPS proudly recognizes the following individuals as College-sponsored National Merit Scholarship winners:

College Academy at Broward College:

• Michael Jaccoma (University of Florida)
• Daniel Fallon (University of Florida)
• Olivia Zhang (University of Florida)
• Micah Tam (University of Florida)

Cooper City High School:

• Trevor Overton (University of Central Florida)

Coral Glades High School:

• Olivia Schwartz (University of Florida)

Cypress Bay High School:

• Daphne Damico Calin (University of Florida)
• Gabriele Daniele Di Gianluca (University of Florida)
• Daniel Garcia (University of Florida)
• Stephany Jimenez (University of Florida)
• Sastha Rajamanikandan (University of Central Florida)
• Xabier Sienra (University of Florida)
• Om Vaddi (University of Florida)

Fort Lauderdale High School:

• Brandon Fingal (University of Central Florida)

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School:

• Rushil Kothur (University of Florida)
• Joshua Schwartz (University of Florida)

Monarch High School:

• Brooke Reynolds (University of Central Florida)

Plantation High School:

• Kylie King (University of Florida)

Pompano Beach High School:

• Jonah Bennett (University of Florida)
• Gabriel DeMirza (University of South Florida)
• Riley Dion (University of Florida)
• David Tran (University of Florida)

West Broward High School:

• Ryan Garcia (University of Florida)
• Nikash Jakkidi (University of Florida)
• Taylor Pierson (University of Florida)

The National Merit Scholarship Program has garnered the support of 153 esteemed higher education institutions this year. These sponsor colleges and universities comprise 81 private and 72 public institutions, representing 42 states and the District of Columbia.

Stay tuned for the upcoming announcement on July 10, when additional recipients of college-sponsored awards will be revealed.

By the conclusion of this year’s competition, over 7,140 remarkable scholars will have been awarded National Merit Scholarships, collectively amounting to approximately $28 million in scholarship funds.

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