3 Brookline Students Win 2021 National Merit Scholarships

BROOKLINE, MA —Three more Brookline students on Wednesday joined the ranks of thousands of National Merit Scholarship winners. They will each take home $2,500 to use toward their education.

Chosen from a pool of 16,000 finalists, the winners will receive scholarships based on their accomplishments, skills and potential for success in college, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation said in a news release.

A committee made up of college admissions officers and high school counselors selected the students. To qualify, students and their schools had to submit academic records, scores from preliminary SAT and National Merit Scholarship qualifying tests, a list of contributions to community activities, an essay and a letter of recommendation.

All told, National Merit said it will hand out approximately 7,500 scholarships in 2021, totaling approximately $30 million.

These Brookline students won $2,500 scholarships on Wednesday:

• Lili V Rodgers, of Brookline. Probable career field: Public Health — Brookline High School,
• Alyssa L. Chen, of Chestnut Hill. Probable career field: Cell Biology — Brookline High School
• Julia O'Donnell, of Chestnut Hill, Biology —Noble and Greenough School, Dedham

Earlier this year, another Brookline student won the corporate version of the award.