-
July 12, 2018
Senior earns National Merit college scholarship
Nadith A. Dharmasena, a member of the Upper St. Clair High School class of 2018, has earned a National Merit Pennsylvania State University Scholarship. He intends to study computer science at Penn State-University Park in State College beginning this fall.
This marks the third Upper St. Clair High School student to receive a college-sponsored Merit Scholarship this year. In June, it was announced that Michael R. Hrehocik and Spencer C. Miller earned scholarships to Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago, respectively.
In addition, graduated senior Sahil B. Doshi was named a National Merit $2,500 Scholarship recipient – one of only 2,500 in the country. Sahil will be attending Northwestern University in Evanson, Ill., this fall where he plans to major in biomedical engineering.
Approximately 190 colleges and universities currently underwrite nearly 4,000 National Merit Scholarships annually. Only finalists who plan to attend a college or university that sponsors Merit Scholarship awards can be considered for one. Winners are selected by officials of the sponsoring college or university. Students entered the scholarship competition by completing the PSAT, the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, during their junior year.
From approximately 1.6 million students who entered the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program, only about 16,000 – the top one percent – were named Semifinalists. In order to advance in the competition and be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, a Semifinalist had to become a Finalist by fulfilling several requirements that included submitting a detailed scholarship application and presenting a record of very high academic performance.
The program awards three types of scholarships: National Merit $2,500 Scholarships, Corporate-Sponsored Merit Scholarships and College-Sponsored Merit Scholarships.
According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, “The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.” For more information regarding the National Merit Scholarship Program, visit: www.nationalmerit.org.
