Eight students from Irvine Unified high schools earned one of the nation’s highest academic honors: National Merit Scholar.

The students, seniors last school year, won the highly competitive contest that awards academic excellence and personal achievement with scholarships up to $2,500.

Irvine Unified’s 2024 National Merit Scholars are: Siddhant Chaudhary and Atharv Joshi of Portola High; William Deng of Northwood High; Katherine Hua of Woodbridge High; and Moses Fleischman, Kayla Hui, Andrew Lo and Julianne Wu of University High.

“IUSD is proud of our exceptional students who have been awarded the 2024 National Merit Scholarship,” says Irvine Unified Superintendent Terry Walker. “Their dedication, perseverance and academic excellence are truly commendable. This prestigious recognition is a testament to their hard work, the support of their engaged families and the guidance of their talented teachers.”