5 Cherry Hill East Students Competing For National Scholarships

CHERRY HILL, NJ — Five students at Cherry Hill High School East are among 16,000 semifinalists in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced.

They are now in contention for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million that will be offered next spring. The Cherry Hill East students who are in contention for the scholarships include:

• Cecilia Cavallo;
• Jessica Dong;
• Madeline Hou;
• Akash Patel; and
• Tyler Semon.

More than 1.5 million high school juniors across the country took the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The highest scoring test takers from each state made it to the semifinals. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

To qualify for the finals, each student and an official from their school must fill out an application that provides 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, and write an essay. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation will name 15,000 finalists in February.

Winners are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference. They will be announced between April and July.

Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring. Every finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis.

About 1,000 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 220 corporations and business organizations for finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located.

About 180 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,100 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.