National Merit Scholarships are granted annually to select students who have scored highly on standardized tests, and have earned good grades and recognition for academic excellence. It is not surprising that Zytnick received such an honor for his academic achievements. Since its creation, Chips Online has been recognized locally and nationally for its superb layout and content, awarded the Marylander Award for best high school online newspaper, and third place for web design in the National Scholastic Press Association's Best of the Net Contest. According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, more than one million high school students across the country apply to the National Merit Program annually. Candidates for the Merit Scholarship are assessed on many levels before being considered for the award.
Judges evaluate a student's academic credentials and abilities as well as personal attributes.
Zytnick is still involved in journalism and online design, as a writer for the Diamondback, the University's student-run newspaper. He plans on graduating with a major in computer science, and in interested in pursuing computer programming and journalism.