Morris Plains Student Named National Merit Scholar

MORRIS PLAINS, NJ — A student from Morris Plains became a National Merit Scholar. Devon K. Tom, who attended the Morris County School of Technology in Denville, will study at Indiana University Bloomington.

Tom is one of about 7,500 merit scholars who combined to earn nearly $30 million in scholarships from the program. This year's competition for the scholarships began when 1.5 million high school juniors took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

In September, about 17,000 students became semifinalists based on their scores, representing less than 1 percent of the nation's seniors. To become a finalist, each semifinalist had to complete a detailed scholarship application. The process included writing an essay, describing leadership positions and contributions in school and community activities, and getting endorsed and recommended by a high school official.

The program named about 16,000 finalists, choosing about half of them to receive National Merit Scholarships.

Tom is likely to study economics, according to the program.

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