2 Newport students are National Merit Scholars

Two Newport Beach students were named National Merit Scholars on Wednesday.

Darren A. Chen of the private Sage Hill School and Darya Fadavi of Corona del Mar High School both won $2,500 from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Each year, the organization awards $35 million worth of college scholarships to about 8,000 students based on their academic records and accomplishments.

Fadavi, a Newport Coast resident, will likely pursue a career in bioengineering, and Chen, from Ladera Ranch, will likely pursue a career in surgical medicine, according to a press release from the National Merit Scholarship Corp.

One of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s priorities this school year is to increase its number of National Merit Scholarship winners.

Eight of its students won the honor last year.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation intends to announce more winners in May and June.

Maxwell E. Davitt, also from Sage Hill, won a corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship award in April.

— Jeremiah Dobruck

Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck