Westport Area National Merit Scholar Winners Announced

WESTPORT, CT — The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced another 1,000 college-sponsored scholarship winners, including students from the Westport area.

Staples High School student Sebastian Montoulieu won the National Merit Northeastern University Scholarship and plans to study business.

Staples High School student Alexander M. Toglia won the National Merit University Of South Carolina Scholarship and is currently undecided about what to study in college.

Colleges and universities sponsored the 1,000 scholarships for students. College officials select winners from the National Merit Scholarship Program finalist pool who will attend their school. Award amounts are between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study.

More than 4,100 scholarships were sponsored by 160 colleges and universities this year through the program.

More than 7,500 high school seniors received nearly $30 million in scholarships through all National Merit scholarship programs this year. Around 1,000 scholarships were sponsored by corporations, and another 2,500 came from the National Merit $2,500 scholarship program.

The Preliminary SAT serves as an initial screen for program entrants. Around 17,000 semifinalists were named in September 2020 from among the highest-scoring test-takers. Semifinalists then complete a detailed scholarship application to qualify for finalist standing.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is a nonprofit corporation that has helped distribute more than $1.3 billion in scholarships to more than 360,000 people since 1955.

Editor's note: This post was automatically generated using information from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Please report any errors or other feedback to content@patch.com.