Westborough HS Student One Of Few To Win National Merit Scholarship

WESTBOROUGH, MA — A Westborough High School student is one of just a few dozen students from across Massachusetts awarded a scholarship this week from the National Merit Scholarship Corp.

High school senior Aarushi Pant was the only winner of a $2,500 award from Westborough. Pant was named as one of three NMSC finalists from Westborough in 2021. She plans to study neuroscience in the fall.

Each year, thousands of students test to qualify for NMSC scholarships. The awards come in several different rounds, including awards sponsored by corporations and by the NMSC itself. This round was for scholarships sponsored by NMSC.

"These Scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the finalists and their high schools: the academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official."

About 59 students from across Massachusetts won $2,500 scholarships in the NMSC round, according to the corporation.