Ossining Student is National Merit Scholarship Finalist

Nicholas Tukuru, a member of Ossining High School’s Class of 2021, is a finalist in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

More than 1.5 million high school juniors around the country entered the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The top scorers – representing less than 1% of high school seniors – became semifinalists in the fall. The National Merit Scholarship Corp. selected finalists in early February based on their academic record, participation in school and community activities, honors received and other factors.

The finalists continue in the competition for roughly 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million. Those will be announced between April and July.

Nicholas said being a finalist is a culmination of his high school experience. “I think my family’s very proud of me for putting in the work and then seeing it come to fruition in such a big way in senior year, when I’m going off to college,” he said.

“National Merit was something that was a big achievement for me, but I thank all of the teachers I’ve had over the years and everybody who made that possible for me,” he added.

School counselor Kendall McFarlane described Nicholas as a “super smart” and unassuming student with a great personality. “I envision Nick walking in the path of President Barack Obama. He’s the kind of kind of person that connects with students from all walks of life,” she said. “He’s the kind of person that volunteers when you don’t ask him to volunteer.”

Nicholas said being part of the three-year Science Research Program has been one of the most formative experiences of his high school career. He conducted his research in the Laboratory of Translational Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. His project sought to better understand drug addiction by researching how the contents of the gut microbiome can affect how the brain processes drugs. He sought to better understand the changes the body makes to respond to certain drugs.

“We found that when we wipe out the gut microbiome and all bacteria and all microorganisms that usually live in the gut, it changes the way that genes are expressed in your brain,” he said.
Nicholas said he hopes to return to the laboratory this summer to continue researching how structure-based drug design could be used to create molecules that interact with brain receptors in a smarter way, so they do not have the potential for addiction.

The Science Research Program provides different challenges than other courses at OHS, in part because it does not rely on midterms or finals for grades, Nicholas said. It is up to students to read articles related to the topic they select, design their own projects and present at competitions.
Nicholas said he has applied to colleges as a math major since that has always been his favorite subject. He is undecided on what career path he might take, although actuary and data science research are two areas he has considered. He has heard back from about half the schools he applied to.

Outside of academics, Nicholas has played tennis all through high school. “It’s kind of a hobby of mine,” he said, adding that he is hoping to have a season this year.

He is a member of the Math Circle, which takes part in monthly competitions, and he plays cello in OHS’ symphony orchestra. In the past few years, he has been involved in musical productions with the Drama Club.

Nicholas has been a cellist for eight years. “The cello in particular has a very rich tone and sound and it’s just kind of pleasing to the ear,” he said.