High Life / A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : 6 From O.C. Win Merit Scholarships

Six 1992 Orange County high school graduates are among the 1,300 winners of the annual Merit Scholarship award.

The winners will receive scholarships ranging from $250 to $2,000 for each year of study.

The winners were selected from a total of more than 1.1 million participants representing 19,000 U.S. high schools. The finalists, narrowed to a field of 14,000, were top scorers in the 1990 Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test and also met additional requirements such as having high academic standards and being endorsed by their school.

The following are the county winners:

* Christina A. Lee of Anaheim is a graduate of Canyon High School and was a member of the National Honors Society for three years. Sheplans plans to attend UCLA and pursue a career in psychology and child development.

* Quang L. Nguyen of Irvine attended University High School and was a four-year member of the Principal’s Honor Roll. Nguyen will attend UC Irvine and plans to pursue a career in medicine.

* Jill M. Ray of Mission Viejo is a graduate of Capistrano Valley High School and is a lifetime member of the California Scholastic Federation. Ray plans to attend UCLA, where she intends to major in mechanical engineering.

* Oliver E. Althoen of Santa Ana is a graduate of Foothill High School, where he was a member of the school’s French and Latin clubs. He plans to attend the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, where he will study natural resource management.

* Scott E. Smith of Tustin is a graduate of Tustin High School, where he was a recipient of the Tandy Technology Scholars Outstanding Student Award. He plans to attend UCLA, where he will study biochemistry.

* Julie M. Dalton of Westminster attended Marina High School in Huntington Beach. She was a member of the school newspaper reporting staff and was designated student of the year. She plans to attend Rice University and major in engineering and history.

“Get all the fools on your side and you can be elected to anything.”

--Frank Dane