Six LMSD Students Named National Merit Scholars

WAYNE, PA – Lower Merion School District – and more specifically the Lower Merion and Harriton high schools – has cause to celebrate. Today, six LMSD students were announced as National Merit Scholars, which earned these students each a $2,500 scholarship.

Five Harriton students were named scholars, while one Lower Merion HS student also made the cut, putting them among just 2,500 students that earned the distinction across the nation.

The Harriton winners are:

• Chloe Niu, of Gladwyne – Probable career field: business management
• Sang-O Park, of Haverford – Probable career field: medicine
• Hunter M. Sporn, of Penn Valley – Probable career field: entrepreneurship
• Joyce M. Gu, of Villanova – Probable career field: environmental engineering
• Sarah Root, of Wynnewood – Probable career field: surgical medicine

At Lower Merion HS, Deepika Jonnalagadda, of Wynnewood was the winner. Jonnalagadda's probable career field is public policy.

All these students earned themselves a $2,500 scholarship through the program.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition.

About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title, according to a prepared statement.

More than 1.6 million students were considered for the contest when they took the PSATs in October 2015 as juniors.

Winners are selected purely on merit, without consideration of their family financial circumstances, college choice, major, or career plans.

Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 420 business organizations and higher education institutions, according to the news release.

With reporting by Justin Heinze

Image via Lower Merion School District