April Jiating Yu, a senior at East Brunswick High School in East Brunswick, New Jersey, has been awarded a Johnson & Johnson National Merit Scholarship as part of the 2026 competition. This prestigious scholarship is granted to approximately 700 students nationwide and is designed to support those pursuing careers the sponsoring corporation encourages, such as medicine, which is Yu's intended field. The scholarship is renewable for up to four years, with annual stipends ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. To qualify, students must first achieve high scores on the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, a feat accomplished by fewer than 1% of U.S. high school seniors. After reaching Semifinalist status, candidates must submit a detailed application, including essays and extracurricular activities, and confirm their qualifications with SAT or ACT scores. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation, established in 1955, has awarded nearly $24 million in scholarships for the current competition, with corporate sponsors contributing over $892 million since its inception.