Nathan Pham named a National Merit solo finalist

Nathan Pham, an active Future Farmers of America (FFA) senior at Del Oro High School, was named as a solo finalist in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program for the Placer Union High School District. Pham is among some 15,000 semifinalists nationwide who have advanced to finalist standing. All winners of Merit Scholarship awards are chosen from the finalist group based on their merit abilities, skills and accomplishments. National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a nonprofit organization, was established in 1955 to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. It underwrites scholarships with its funds and by approximately 400 business organizations and higher education institutions that share National Merit Scholarship Corporation's goals of honoring the nation's scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence. Pham, the current founder and president of the Del Oro Programming Club, plans to study computer science, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI). He seeks to use AI to assist patients with cognitive impairment and mental illness. In addition, Pham has volunteered hundreds of hours to educate others to code, earning him the highest achievement for volunteerism for his age group: the Gold President's Volunteer Service Award. He has interned with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and currently works with Replit in the capacity of workspace engineering role.