National Merit Scholarship Winner From Caldwell Announced

CALDWELL, NJ — A student from Caldwell is among a select group of high school students across the country to receive a four-year scholarship for college from the National Merit Scholarship foundation.

To qualify, students had to take the SAT, submit essays, and meet other qualifications.

Aidan B. LaChac of Caldwell was announced last week as a winner. LaChac's probably career field is computer science.

LaChac is a student at James Caldwell High School in West Caldwell.

He has won a National Merit Scholarship to attend the University of Texas at Dallas.

The National Merit Scholarship committee noted, "The University of Texas at Dallas attracts a diverse group of nearly 30,000 students from over 100 countries. With more than 140 academic
programs across eight schools, UT Dallas is a rapidly growing public research university that includes top-ranked programs in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM) and business. UT Dallas continually graduates well-rounded citizens whose education has prepared them for rewarding lives and productive careers."

In Nearby Districts

Approximately 7,500 students around the country have been notified that they have been chosen for a Merit Scholarship. Many will receive a $2,500 scholarship for college, but some may win an award from a company or from a particular college.

During the 2021-2022 school year, among nearby districts, Millburn had a whopping 32 semifinalists, South Orange-Maplewood had 10 semifinalists, Summit High School had five, Chatham High School had three, Westfield High had two, Scotch Plains High had two, and Madison High had two.

Most New Jersey high schools with more than five were magnet or private schools.

Qualifications

To become a finalist, the semifinalists and their high school officials must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received.

A semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.