Princeton Teen Named National Merit Scholar

PRINCETON, NJ — Aaliyah N. Sayed, from Princeton Day School has won a $2,500 corporate scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship, the organization announced.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) judges high school students based on their PSATs, contributions, and leadership in school and community activities. NMSC awards several scholarships in their senior year.

Sayed's probable career field is computer science, the announcement said.

The organization announced corporate scholarship winners in April. Winners of the college-sponsored scholarships will be announced on June 2 and July 12.

Between the three programs, about 7,500 scholars will be named. There were 16,000 finalists. These finalists "met the very high academic standards and other requirements” to advance to the Finalist level of the competition.

"National Merit $2500 Scholarship winners are the Finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies," the announcement says.

"The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state's percentage of the nation's graduating high school seniors."

(With reporting from Anthony Bellano, Patch Staff)

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