National Merit Scholarship Winner From Rockville

ROCKVILLE, MD — The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced over 3,000 college-sponsored scholarship winners Wednesday, and one of the winners is a student from Rockville, according to an announcement by the parent organization.

Neal M. Sarkar, a student at Montgomery Blair High School, is Rockville's National Merit Scholarship winner. Sarkar plans to pursue a career in mechanical engineering.

Earlier in the spring, winners of corporate-sponsored and $2,500 National Merit Scholarships were announced. More winners will be announced in July, bringing the total of college-sponsored scholarships to 4,000. In all, 7,500 high school seniors will receive $32 million in National Merit Scholarships, sponsored by both corporations and higher education institutions.

Students were entered into the competition by taking the Preliminary SATs as juniors. In the fall, 16,000 semifinalists were named, representing less than 1 percent of the country's seniors. Semifinalists submitted additional applications with an essay, information about extracurricular activities, leadership positions and awards, and a recommendation from a school official.

NMSC is a not-for-profit corporation that was established in 1955. The organization says its purpose is to "enhance educational opportunities for America’s scholastically talented youth and to encourage the pursuit of academic excellence."

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