NEWTOWN, CT — The National Merit Scholarship Corporation on Wednesday announced the 2,500 students who have been awarded $2,500 National Merit Scholarships, and among them is a Newtown High School student.
Andrew J. Arena, whose probable career field is listed as computer science, was awarded with a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship to use at any regionally accredited U.S. college or university.
The 2,500 students were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 finalists from the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. Winners were judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies, the NMSC said in a news release.
Winners 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; and a recommendation written by a high school official.
By the conclusion of the 2024 program, more than 6,870 finalists will have earned the “Merit Scholar” title and received a total of nearly $26 million in college scholarships, the NMSC said in a news release.
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