Five Newark Academy Students Make National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinals
More than 1.5 million juniors across the United States entered the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program, and five students from Newark Academy made it to the semifinal round of the prestigious academic competition, representing less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors.
Elaine Choy ’21, Annika Inampudi ’21, Eric Weng ’21, and Andrew Zabelo ’21 were among the students who made the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program semifinal round, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced. The five will get to continue the competition for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships.
According to the NMSC, to become a finalist, the semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the semifinalist's academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student's earlier performance on the qualifying test.
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