Swampscott Students Among National Merit Semifinalists

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Two Swampscott students are among the semifinalists in the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Program.

Doug Dwyer and Mariel Fulghum are among 16,000 semifinalists in the 66th program that drew 1.5 million junior entrants through taking the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test during the school year.

The semifinalists represent less than one percent of all high school seniors.

Semifinalists are invited to submit a scholarship application with a detailed academic record list of community and extracurricular activities to become a finalist. Out of that group, about 7,600 will be chosen for one of the 2021 National Merit Scholarships totaling more than $30 million.

Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.

National Merit Scholarship 2021 winners will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July.