DARIEN, CT — The National Merit Scholarship Corporation this week released the names of approximately 770 high school seniors who have won corprorate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship awards, and included on that list is a Darien High School student.
Bo-Jun Qin was awarded the National Merit New York Life Family Scholarship.
Most of these awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study and provide annual stipends that range from $1,000 to $10,000 per year, the NMSC said. Some provide a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000.
Recipients can use their awards at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university of their choice.
High school juniors entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program when they took the 2022 PSATS. Semifinalists were the highest-scoring program entrants in each state and represented less than one percent of the nation’s seniors.
Each semifinalist was asked to complete a detailed scholarship application, which included writing an essay and providing information about extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions. Semifinalists also had to have an outstanding academic record, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirmed their qualifying test performance.
Scholars were selected from students who advanced to the “finalist” level in the National Merit Scholarship competition and met criteria of their scholarship sponsors.
Corporate sponsors provide National Merit Scholarships for finalists who are children of their employees, who are residents of communities the company serves, or who plan to pursue college majors or careers the sponsor wishes to encourage.
New York Life Insurance Company is a Fortune 100 company and a top provider of new life insurance coverage in the nation, the NMSC said.
National Merit New York Life Family Scholarships are awarded to the children of company employees and agents. The New York
Life Foundation, which makes these scholarships possible, also supports education through its matching gift program.
By the conclusion of the 2024 competition, more than 6,870 finalists will have been selected to receive National Merit Scholarships totaling nearly $26 million.
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