Ten seniors from three Houston ISD high schools received a little help paying for college, thanks to National Merit Scholarships worth $2,500 each.

The winners were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors who appraised the finalists’ academic records, scores from two standardized tests, contributions and leadership in school and community activities, submitted essays and recommendations from high school officials.

The scholarships may be used at any regionally accredited United States college or university.

HISD’s winners are:

Bellaire High School
• Patrick D. Giradet
• DeeDee T. Han
• Laura Y. Zhang
• Jinchen Zou

Carnegie Vanguard High School
• Maya C. Fletcher-Bai
• JinAh Kim

DeBakey High School
• Vi Khanh Nguyen
• Yimeng Wang
• Christopher K. Wong
• Victoria K. Xie