National Merit Scholarship Winner Announced For Livingston

LIVINGSTON, NJ — After taking tests, submitting essays, and meeting several qualifications to apply for a National Merit Scholarship to college, one Livingston teen was announced as a winner of the prestigious award on Wednesday.

The winner, chosen from eight semifinalists in Livingston, will get a $2,500 annual scholarship to college.

The NMSC announced Wednesday that Kush Vachter has won the award. Vachter's probable career field is computer science, the NMSC said.

Two Others Win Corporate Awards

Two students in Livingston had already been announced last month as special corporate scholarship winners. Shourya Bansal and Daniel J. Siegal won those awards.

Not many towns had three winners of the awards. In the nearby area, Millburn had six winners announced Wednesday, as well as two corporate winners, making that town's public district the one with the most award winners in New Jersey.

To become a finalist, the semifinalist and a high school official 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.

Starting last month, approximately 7,500 students were 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.

Last year, among nearby districts, 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. Millburn High School had a whopping 32 semifinalists.

But most other New Jersey high schools with more than 10 were magnet or private schools.

Get more local news about Livingston delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here for free Livingston Patch daily 6 a.m. newsletters and for breaking news alerts.

Get free news alerts, or a 6 a.m. daily newsletter for Livingston, by signing up: https://patch.com/subscribe