4 Ridgewood Students Win National Merit Scholarships

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Four Ridgewood students were named recipients of a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship.

Olivia Jerdee and Annabel Mendoza attend Ridgewood High School. Mendoza is undecided on her course of study, while Jerdee plans to study computer science.

Colin Song attends Bergen County Technical High School and plans to study economics.

Amelia Feiner attends Horace Mann School in the Bronx. Feiner plans to study law.

According to the National Merit Scholarship Award Corporation, over 1.5 million high school juniors entered the 2020 National Merit Scholarship program. Last fall, approximately 16,000 students were named semifinalists.

To compete for the award, the corporation said, students were asked to submit an application, which included an essay and detailed their extracurricular activities, awards and leadership positions.

Their academic record and SAT or ACT scores were also reviewed, and an endorsement or recommendation from a high school official was submitted on their behalf.

The number of winners in each state is proportional to that state's share of the nation's graduating seniors, the organization said.

Additional winners are expected to be announced in July.

The corporation was established in 1955 to conduct the scholarship program. A majority of scholarships are supported by roughly 400 corporate and college sponsors.

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