2 More Westport Students Awarded College-Sponsored Merit Scholarships

WESTPORT, CT — Two more Staples High School students have been named recipients of a college-sponsored scholarship for 2023 by the National Merit Scholarship Program, according to officials. Last month, a Staples student received a scholarship from Colby College under the program.

On Tuesday, Aalok Bhattacharya received a National Merit Boston College Scholarship, and whose probable career field is Medicine.

Additionally, Katharine A. Shackelford received a National Merit Brandeis University Scholarship, and whose probable career field is Law.

Bhattacharya and Shackelford are two of 750 additional recipients named this week; in June, the National Merit Scholarship Program named more than 3,000 students who were given college-sponsored scholarships.

The awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship, according to officials.

Under the program for 2023, more than 3,800 college-sponsored awards will be given out, from 153 colleges and universities.

Sponsor colleges and universities include 81 private and 72 public institutions located in 42 states and the District of Columbia.

"This final group of winners brings the number of 2023 National Merit Scholars to more than 7,140," officials wrote in a statement. "These distinguished high school graduates will receive scholarships for undergraduate study worth a total of nearly $28 million. In addition to college-sponsored awards, two other types of National Merit Scholarships were offered—2,500 National Merit $2500 Scholarships, for which all Finalists competed, and about 840 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who met criteria specified by their grantor organizations."

For more information on the National Merit Scholarship Program, visit www.nationalmerit.org.