WESTON, REDDING & EASTON, CT — Students from Weston, Redding and Easton are winners of a National Merit Scholarships.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation Wednesday announced this year’s National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners.
Weston High School seniors Benjamin H. Doolittle and Jayaditya Rajan were named among the winners. Doolittle’s probable career field is Biomedical Engineering, while Rajan’s is Law.
Joel Barlow High School senior Cade R. Fravel was also named among the winners. Fravel’s probable career field is Diplomatic Service.
And finally, Easton resident Kathleen Driscoll, a senior at Hopkins School, was also named among the winners. Driscoll’s probable career field is Mechanical Engineering.
The $2,500 Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding finalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program, according to a news release provided by NMSC.
Last month, Corporate-Sponsored Merit Scholarship winners were announced.
National Merit $2,500 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, according to NMSC.
The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.
The 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; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official, according to NMSC.
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