2 Newton Students Win 2021 National Merit Scholarships

Newton MA

12 July, 2021

11:12 AM

Description

NEWTON, MA — Two Newton high school seniors are winners in this year's National Merit Scholarship Program, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Markus S. Elbert, a student at Boston University Academy, and Jonah Goldfarb, a student at Newton South High School, were chosen out of approximately 16,000 finalists in this year's competition. Elbert will receive a scholarship sponsored by Northeastern University and plans to study chemistry. Goldfarb will receive a University of Maryland scholarship to study medicine. The college-sponsored National Merit Scholarship winners receive between between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship. This year, 160 higher education institutions, including 85 private and 75 public institutions located in 42 states and the District of Columbia, are sponsoring National Merit Scholarships. Merit Scholars are chosen by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors based on their academic records, standardized test scores, contributions and leadership in school and their communities, an essay, and a recommendation written by a high school official. The final group of winners announced this week brings the total number of 2021 National Merit Scholars to over 7,500. These high school seniors will receive nearly $30 million in scholarships for undergraduate study.