Coventry Student Named A National Merit Scholarship Winner

COVENTRY, RI — A graduating senior from Coventry was along eight Rhode Island students to win a $2,500 scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Lauren Richard, who attends La Salle Academy in Providence, was announced as Coventry's winner on Wednesday. After college, she plans to get a career in economics.

Each year, thousands of students test to qualify for NMSC scholarships. The awards come in several 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," a spokesperson for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation said.

The Rhode Island winners were:

• Lucy Dreier — Barrington High School
• Aditi Mehta — Mount Hope High School, Bristol
• Lauren Richard — La Salle Academy, Providence
• Kalliana Marek — Homeschool, Cranston
• Sara Gomez — East Greenwich High School
• Elias Weisbord — Moses Brown School, Providence
• Julia Xu — East Greenwich High School
• Elena Martha Hurtado Solberg — Classical High School Providence.