SOMERSET — A Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School student has been named a 2026 National Merit Scholarship winner, earning a college-sponsored award to attend Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Mahek Khan, a Piscataway resident, was selected by Rutgers officials from among Finalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to enroll at the university. Khan, who plans to pursue a career in clinical psychology, is among more than 2,500 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners announced Tuesday by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

The scholarship provides between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study.

Khan advanced through a competitive selection process that began when Khan took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test as a high school junior. From more than 16,000 Semifinalists named nationally, Khan earned Finalist standing by submitting a scholarship application, writing an essay, documenting extracurricular activities and leadership, and earning SAT or ACT scores that confirmed Khan’s qualifying test performance.

Rutgers, founded in 1766, enrolls undergraduates across 13 colleges in New Brunswick, Newark and Camden, offering programs in arts and sciences, engineering, pharmacy, nursing and other fields.

About 6,700 students nationally will receive National Merit Scholarships in 2026, worth nearly $24 million in total.

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