National Merit Scholarship Winners From Somerville

SOMERVILLE, MA — Two Somerville students have been awarded a National Merit Scholarship, according to an announcement by the parent organization. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation named Alice Egar and Daniel Strauss its 2017 National Merit Scholars for Somerville. Both are Somerville High School graduates.

Egar received a $2,500 scholarship from the National Merit Scholar organization and plans to pursue a career in biology. Strauss received $2,500 from Grinnell College in Iowa. He plans to pursue a career in science and research.

NMSC announced more than 3,200 winners of National Merit Scholarships on Wednesday, June 7. These scholarships are financed by U.S. colleges and universities, and the awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship. Earlier this year, winners of corporate-sponsored scholarships and scholarships awarded by the NMSC were named.

NMSC will announce another group of scholars in July, bringing the total number to about 4,000. A total of 182 higher education institutions underwrote this year's awards.

More than 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2017 National Merit Scholarship competition by taking a qualifying test. A total of 16,000 semifinalists were named last fall, and they have been winnowed down to 3,200 today.

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."

Image via Flickr user Ginny

Dan Taylor (Patch Staff) contributed to this report.