Merrick Student Named National Merit Scholar

Today, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced this year’s National Merit $2500 Scholarship winners, which included a student from Merrick.

The 2,500 Merit Scholar were chosen from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program. In total, more than 1.6 million students submitted applications for the award.

Among the winners was Joy Ma, a student at Sanford H. Calhoun High School in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District.

National Merit Scholarship winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.

The Scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the Finalists and their high schools: the academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the Finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.

Photo: Patch