9 Rhode Island Students Win National Merit $2,500 Scholarships

Nine Rhode Island students have been named winners of the 2019 National Merit $2,500 Scholarship. The merit scholar winners, announced Wednesday, were among 2,500 winners nationwide and were selected from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists.

Wednesday’s announcement is the second group of winners to be announced this year. In April, more than 1,000 recipients of the corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship were named.

A panel of college admissions officers and high school counselors judged the students based on their accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college courses, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation said in a release. The judges looked at grades, difficulty of courses, standardized test scores, contributions and leadership both in school and in the community, an essay and a recommendation from a high school official.

The number of winners in each state was proportional to the state’s share of the nation’s graduating high school seniors. Additional winners will be named in June and July. By the end of the year, about 7,600 students will have won merit scholarships totaling more than $31 million. The money can be put toward any regionally accredited college or university in America.

Here are the winners from across Rhode Island:

Spencer Dellenbaugh, Portsmouth

• Probable career field: Computer Science
• School: St. George's School, Middletown

John B. Fay, Bristol

• Probable career field: Undecided
• School: Wheeler School, Providence

Alexander E. Gavitt, Warwick

• Probable career field: Physics
• School: Toll Gate High School

Andrew R. Goyette, Smithfield

• Probable career field: Biochemistry
• School: Mount St. Charles Academy, Woonsocket

Alexandra Lee, East Greenwich

• Probable career field: Medicine
• School: Moses Brown School, Providence

Owen T. Petito, East Greenwich

• Probable career field: Mechanical Engineering
• School: East Greenwich High School

Daniel R. Sheinberg, Barrington

• Probable career field: Biology
• School: Barrington High School

Ari S. Vilker, East Greenwich

• Probable career field: Biology
• School: East Greenwich High School

Samuel Yelnosky, Providence

• Probable career field: Public Policy
• School: Wheeler School, Providence

The merit scholarship program was created in 1955. Students in grades nine through 12 vie for academic recognition and financial support. About 1.6 million students take the qualifying test every year and about 50,000 of the highest scorers have the chance to be considered.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.