National Merit® $2500 Scholarship Winners
National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®) announced this year’s National Merit $2500 Scholarship winners.
Among the winners are Westport residents Liyana Asaria-Issa, a student at Greens Farms Academy, Lucia Wang, a student at Staples High School, Joy Xu, who attends Hopkins School in New Haven, and Alexis Bienstock, a student at Pierrepont School in Westport.
The 2,500 Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of over 15,000 outstanding Finalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program.
National Merit $2500 Scholarship winners are the Finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.
These Scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the Finalists and their high schools: the academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®); contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the Finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.
NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was founded in 1955 specifically to conduct the National Merit Scholarship Program. The majority of scholarships offered each year are underwritten by approximately 340 independent corporate and college sponsors that share NMSC’s goals of honoring scholastically talented youth and encouraging academic excellence at all levels of education.
Learn more about the NMSC https://www.nationalmerit.org