Council Rock North Students Win National Merit Scholarships

NEWTOWN, PA — Two Council Rock High School North students have been named a National Merit Scholarship winner in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Winners of $2,500 National Merit Scholarships are:

• Brady T. Ott of Upper Makefield. Probable career field: mechanical engineer (robotics).
• Kelly Z. Lao of Newtown. Probable career field: applied mathematics.

They were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding finalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. 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.

They 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 including their academic record, difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT); contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.