Photo Credit: CFISDEducation
Cypress Creek HS student earns National Merit Scholarship
Cypress Creek High School senior Kimberly Lam was recently named a 2026 National Merit Scholar. As part of the award, she will receive a National Merit Scholarship to go towards her college education.
Upon graduation from Cypress Creek, Lam is headed to MIT where she hopes to study either Computer Science or Engineering.
“Kimberly Lam is one of the most excellent students I have had the pleasure of instructing in my 18 years of experience,” said Mark Mason, Cypress Creek’s AP Physics C teacher. “She is primarily responsible for the formation of the AP Physics 2 and AP Physics C courses this year due to her intense recruiting effort to grow the advanced science program here at Creek. She has also achieved great success outside of the classroom in Science Olympiad and Interact Club.”
Lam was originally named a National Merit Semifinalist based on her performance on the 2024 PSAT. In order to be recognized as a finalist, she had to fill out a scholarship application, write an essay, provide information on extracurricular activities and awards, receive an endorsement from someone at Cypress Creek and earn a SAT or ACT score that backed up her PSAT performance.
In the end, Lam was selected as just one of 6,700 National Merit Scholars nationwide. It’s a recognition that Mason believes couldn’t have gone to a better student.
“She was one of only two students to receive a 5 on her AP Physics 1 exam two years ago. In preparation for the exam, she organized a Discord server that students joined to study together, and that server still exists today where she is studying for her two Physics C exams on Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism with her classmates,” Mason said. “Her acceptance to MIT this year is well-deserved, as she is one of the kindest, most intelligent and most caring students I have ever met.”
Source: CFISD
