William Tennent Student Wins National Merit Scholarship

WARMINSTER, PA — A William Tennent student from Warminster has been named a National Merit Scholarship winner. Jamie A. Gray was recently chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 finalists in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program.

He will be awarded a $2,500 scholarship. Gray's probable career field is mechanical engineering, according to information from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

National Merit Scholarship winners have been "judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies," the National Merit Scholarship Corporation said in an announcement.

According to the National Merit Corporation:

These Scholars 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: the academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the Finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.

More than 1.6 million high school juniors entered the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program when they took the 2015 Preliminary SAT.