“I look out onto the span of solar panels in the desert not too far from my home, and I feel less overwhelmed by the magnitude of the climate crises,” Tianna N. Chemello says when speaking of her motivation for pursuing a degree in environmental engineering. Tianna lists further inspirations, such as people who buy organic foods or plant bee-friendly flowers—“People like me,” she says, “attempting to save our planet.” 

Scholar, Eagle Scout, Volunteer, Athlete—Reese D. Borlin hopes to eventually add “Park Ranger” to the list of titles he has earned so far. As a forestry major at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Reese focuses his studies on forest recreation and park management, often venturing outside the classroom. In the past few years, Reese has visited 20 national parks and numerous state and national forests and recreational areas. He is pictured here near a frozen alpine lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. 

As a student enrolled in Columbia College’s economics and political science program, Chixue (Sybil) Fu could look up to any number of prominent economists and politicians, but “I ultimately look up to my mother,” she says. Sybil explains that her mother is an immigrant and single parent who has worked as a janitor for the past 13 years and has “witnessed the discrimination imposed upon immigrants and experienced the economic struggles that ensue.” Sybil believes that she “would not have the same passion” for her studies had it not been for the inspiration from her mother.

“Too often,” Kevin N. Medansky says, “we believe that people are simply born for languages or they are not. It is my firm belief, however, that these skills come from work and dedication.” From the campus of Haverford College in Pennsylvania to the 11th Arrondissement in Paris, Kevin focused his college experiences around his certainty that language can be learned by anyone and can be utilized to bring people together.

“Receiving the National Merit Scholarship was the reason I was able to attend college, period,” Molly K. Buffington emphasizes when explaining the impact that donations to NMSC could make on the lives of hard-working students. An alumna of the University of Alabama, Molly triple majored in history, German, and Latin. “I was able to attend college and not worry about my finances,” she says of her National Merit Program recognition, “which led to the opportunity to increase the breadth of my studies.”

“Education is the best tool we have to inspire the younger generations,” Rishiprotim Nag asserts when considering the importance of NMSC’s mission. “Receiving the National Merit Scholarship was, for me, an affirmation,” Rishiprotim says, “and a realization that I could financially afford to continue to challenge myself and learn more in an environment very different from any I was familiar with.” The challenging environment Rishiprotim found was Princeton University, where he studied engineering in operations research and financial engineering. His scholarship served as “a call to action,” he says, “to continue testing myself every day.”