National Merit Scholars named

The names of some of the high school seniors who've won National Merit $2,500 Scholarships were announced by officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

These Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of approximately 15,000 finalists in the 2007 National Merit Scholarship Program.

The scholarship winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in college studies. They were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors.

Scholar selection was based on each finalist's academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied; grades earned; scores from two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay describing interests and goals; and the recommendation written by a high school official.

The scholarship recipients include the following local students and their hometowns, probable career fields and high schools attended.

Rufung F. Lin, Agoura Hills, computer engineering, Agoura High School.

Derek G. Ju, Calabasas, bioengineering, Calabasas High School.

Jacob D. Combs, Hidden Hills, law/writing, Viewpoint School.

Lauren M. Hickey, Moorpark, biology, Moorpark High School.

Colin T. Dwyer, Newbury Park, education/college professor, Newbury Park High School.

Lisa S. Rotenstein, Oak Park, biomedical engineering, Oak Park High School.

Wyatt A. Lienhard, Simi Valley, engineering, Royal High School.

Rosa Deng, Thousand Oaks, medicine, Thousand Oaks High School.

Juan Rodrigo Ricafort, Thousand Oaks, national security, Westlake High School.

Hank Yan, Thousand Oaks, law, Thousand Oaks High School.

Jaimie Z. Li, Westlake Village, business/law, Westlake High School.