Schools
Ossining High School Senior Chosen as National Merit Scholarship Finalist
Benjamin Feinstein and the other finalists are competing for about 7,400 scholarships worth more than $32 million.
The National Merit Scholarship Corp. has named Ossining High School senior Benjamin Feinstein as a finalist in its 61st annual scholarship program.
The organization notified about 15,000 seniors from around the country this month that they are finalists. Less than 1 percent of high school seniors who scored the highest on the PSAT junior year become semifinalists, and about 90 percent were chosen as finalists.
To become finalists, semifinalists must submit a detailed application with information about their academic record, participation in school and community activities, employment, demonstrated leadership abilities and honors received.
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Benjamin is taking several Advanced Placement courses and is in the OHS Fundamentals of Science Research program. He is also involved in a number of extracurricular activities.
For the Science Research program, Benjamin is working with a mentor from Yale University on a project about synesthesia. With synesthesia, stimulating one sense in a person can trigger a reaction in another sense. An example is when someone involuntarily associates numbers and letters with different colors or smells.
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Benjamin is vice president of the Junior States of America debate club, editor of the school newspaper, an officer-at-large with the Drama Club and a member of the Engineering Club. He designs posters, programs and T-shirts for school plays and musicals. In 2015, he won a Metropolitan High School Theater Award in graphic design for the work he did for the musical “Loserville.”
Benjamin plays several instruments, including the euphonium and trombone, and he plays English handbells with a group in Pleasantville.
He is interested in pursuing neuroscience and graphic design in college.
The finalists are competing for about 7,400 scholarships worth more than $32 million, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corp. Roughly half of them will win a scholarship.
Winners will be announced in four different waves that begin in April and end in July. Scholars are chosen based on their skills, accomplishments and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
