Marlboro, Morganville Teens Named National Merit Scholars

MARLBORO, NJ - Four local teens recently earned prestigious college-sponsored scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Competition this year, the organization announced Wednesday.

Marlboro residents Andy Zhang (High Technology High School), Shivam Patel (Freehold High School), Pranita Sannidhi (Biotechnology High School) and Grace Wong (High Technology High School) each received a National Merit Rutgers University Scholarship. Zhang plans to study computer programming at the university next fall, while Patel aims to study computer science. Sannidhi looks to pursue a career in medicine and Wong aims to study marketing.

The teens are among more than 4,100 winners receiving National Merit Scholarships sponsored by U.S. colleges or universities they plan to attend. The organization previously announced its $2,500 corporate scholarship winners in April and college-sponsored scholarships winners on June 2, with the second and final round of college-sponsored scholarship winners announced July 12.

The prestigious annual competition judges high school students based on their PSATs and awards a number of scholarships during a student's senior year. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state's percentage of the nation's graduating high school seniors.

Around 7,500 scholars have been named between the three programs from a pool of 16,000 finalists. The college-sponsored awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.

Other recent Monmouth County winners include Hazlet resident Kyle E. DiMaggio of High Technology High School.

To be eligible for merit scholarship awards, finalists must submit a detailed scholarship application consisting of an essay, extracurricular resume and list of previous awards. They must also have an outstanding academic record and be endorsed by a high school official.

160 higher education institutions have sponsored awards through the National Merit Scholarship Program this year, consisting of 85 participating private and 75 public institutions located in 42 states and the District of Columbia.

By the conclusion of this year's competition, about 7,500 academic champions will have been awarded National Merit Scholarships worth around $30 million.