Best And Brightest: Westfield's Merit Scholar Semifinalists Have Been Announced

WESTFIELD, NJ — The National Merit Scholarship Program — which awards college scholarships to students based on factors including test scores and recommendations — has announced this year's semifinalists in the program. Students first become eligible based on their PSAT scores in high school and ultimately submit an essay for consideration for a coveted $2,500 college scholarship.

The process begins when students take their PSAT as a sophomore or junior in high school (in this case, they likely took it in 2020, the Program says). Approximately 34,000 students are then chosen as Commended scholars based on those scores.

In their senior year, 16,000 are notified that they are semifinalists, as students were this week.

At the end of this winter 2022, approximately 95 percent of the semifinalists will be notified by mail that they have become finalists.

And starting in April 2022, approximately 7,500 students will be notified that they have been chosen for a Merit Scholarship. Most will receive a $2,500 scholarship for college, but some may win an award from a company or from a particular college.

There will be three types of Merit Scholarships offered in 2022: 2,500 National Merit $2,500 scholarships; 1,000 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarships from 220 corporations and business organizations (some for employees' children or kids in their geographical area), and 4,000 scholarships sponsored by 180 colleges for students who attend their institution.

According to the NMSC, the program bases the awards on information about the student including:

• Academic record
• Participation in school and community activities
• Employment
• Honors
• Leadership abilities
• Recommendation from a school official
• Essay they write

Two years ago, four Westfield High School seniors were chosen as finalists in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program. They were Julia Tompkins, Connie Liu, Aidan Kilbourn, and Ian Gurland.

A year ago, Grace Endy, Samantha Salz, and Maxwell Scialabba were named semifinialists.

And for this year, the NMSC announced Wednesday that two Westfield High seniors are semifinalists. They will find out next year if they attain finalist status. They are:

This Year's Westfield High School National Merit Semifinalists

• Gillian L. Strout
• Yuchen Yang

What About Nearby High Schools?

In terms of nearby high schools, Summit High School had five semifinalists, Chatham High had three, Scotch Plains had two, Madison High had two, and Cranford had one. Millburn High School had 32 and Columbia High School in Maplewood had 10.

The finalists for 2022 will be announced in a series of press releases this coming April through July, the program says.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is a non-profit organization operating without government assistance, established in 1955 to conduct a national scholarship program. The program uses its own funds and contributions from approximately 400 businesses and higher education institutions for scholarships.

Read other Westfield school news on Westfield Patch.

Want updates on Westfield breaking news when it happens, or for a daily newsletter at 6 a.m. each morning with Westfield news? Don't miss the stories your neighbors are talking about! Sign up with your preferences here.

Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. Got photos? Please include express written permission from the photographer for us to use them. To be the first to get free news alerts with breaking stories in your town, or to get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts or daily newsletters.