North Penn High School Senior Esha Velaga has been selected as a winner of the National Merit $2500 scholarship funded by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
Established in 1955, the National Merit Scholarship program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships. Approximately 1.5 million high school students enter the program each year. Awards given by corporate sponsors were recently announced, and college-sponsored scholarships will be announced in the coming months. By the conclusion of the competition, more than 7,140 academic champions will have won scholarships worth approximately $28 million.
To qualify for a National Merit Scholarship, students begin by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), a standardized test administered by the College Board designed to measure college readiness. Of the 1.5 million students who take the test, approximately 15,000 students will qualify as Semifinalists for the Merit Scholarship. Approximately half of the Semifinalists will receive a scholarship award.
The North Penn School District would like to congratulate Esha Velaga for achieving this prestigious award and being among the top scholars in the country.