Malden Students Named National Merit Semifinalists

MALDEN, MA — Two Malden students were among a group of students across the state named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists on Wednesday, putting them on track to potentially win National Merit Scholarship college grants in the spring of next year.

Liam Bloom and Caroline Crowley earned semifinalist spots after taking National Merit Scholarship qualification tests last year. Those tests are also known as the PSAT.

Bloom is a student at Malden High School while Crowley attends Mystic Valley Regional Charter School.

Top scoring students on the qualifying tests had the opportunity to apply to become a National Merit semifinalist. Of the roughly 16,000 semifinalists selected in the U.S., about 7,200 will go on to become finalists, according to the National Merit Scholarship organization.

Finalists will be eligible for three scholarships, including grants funded by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, others funded by local corporations, and scholarships paid by colleges and universities themselves.

Award winners will be identified between April and July of next year.

Scholarship awards could include annual stipends anywhere between $1,000 and $10,000. There are also single payment awards worth $2,500 and $5,000.