Wayland High School Senior Wins National Merit Scholarships

WAYLAND, MA — A committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors selected a Wayland resident for a National Merit cash scholarship.

Ethan Brandaleone, of the class of 2023 at Wayland High School, was among 2,500 winners of $2,500 scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Brandaleone plans to study academia, according to National Merit.

The two were selected from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists.

The scholarships are awarded to National Merit finalists found to have the "strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies," according to a release.

The cash scholarships are the second of four rounds of annual scholarship winner announcements by National Merit.

The winners were chosen by a committee that evaluated each candidate's academic record, scores on Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Tests, leadership contributions, an essay written by finalists, and a recommendation from a high school official.