Fifteen New Mexico high school students, including two Albuquerque Academy students, are among 2,500 recipients of National Merit Scholarships. The winners were picked from a national pool of more than 15,000 finalists in the program. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation said the winners in each state are those judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
Academy seniors Isabel Gallegos and Sarah Skillman each received the prestigious award, which includes a $2,500 scholarship.
According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, the number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.
A committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, made the selections. This year’s program began in October when more than 1.6 million high school juniors took the Preliminary National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, producing some 16,000 semifinal.
