Baldwin Senior Named National Merit Finalist

BALDWIN, NY. — As spring approaches, high school seniors around the country are settling into the age-old routine of “senioritis”: taking their foot off the academic gas pedal as their high school career winds down, and preparing for whatever might come next. For Baldwin High School senior Luna Questelles, however, there’s still one hurdle left to clear: The quest for a National Merit Scholarship, which Questelles was named a finalist for this week.

The Merit Scholarship program gives out $26 million in scholarships annually to 6,930 high school students from across the country, considering the student applicants on a comprehensive list of criteria including academic record, community involvement both at and outside school, leadership skills, employment history, honors, endorsements, and an application essay.

While academic track record wasn’t the only criteria considered by Merit Scholarship reviewers, Questelles did have that in spades: The senior recorded a perfect score on the PSAT and a 1560 on the SAT. While those scores already put Questelles in rarified air academically, the award of a Merit Scholarship, district officials said, would place Questelles among the highest-achieving students in the country.

“This honor through the National Merit Scholarship Program speaks to Luna’s outstanding academic ability and relentless work ethic,” Baldwin High School Principal Dr. Neil Testa said. “Achievements like this remind us of the incredible potential within our students, and we could not be prouder.”

Questelles has reached the finalist stage after applying alongside over 1.3 million students in junior year. Those students, district officials said, applied from over 20,000 high schools. Of the 1.3 million applicants, only about 15,000 are named finalists. Merit Scholarship winners will be announced in batches later this year, with the first wave of scholars receiving their awards in late April and additional scholarships rolling out through July.