3 Westford Students Named National Merit Scholars

WESTFORD, MA — Three Westford students joined more than 7,500 nationwide named 2017 National Merit Scholars. The recent Westford Academy graduates each earned $2,500 in scholarships to pursue career fields ranging from chemistry to consulting. It was part of more than $32 million in scholarships the nonprofit National Merit Scholarship Corporation awarded this year.

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These are the Westford scholars:

• Amanda Li. Probable career field: chemical engineering.
• Vennela Mannava. Probable career field: chemistry.
• Nihar Sheth. Probable career field: consulting.

The final round of scholars were announced Monday. Their selection was based on test scores, community involvement and an essay, among other factors. The National Merit Scholarship Program was started in 1955 and has awarded more than $1 billion to more than 330,000 students.

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