RI Student Named National Merit Scholarship Winner

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI — The National Merit Scholarship Corporation released the names of the first group of winners in the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, and one of the winners was from Rhode Island.

Molly Egan, a Jamestown resident and student at North Kingstown High School, was named a winner of the scholarship on Wednesday. Her probable career field is psychology.

NMSC will name more recipients of National Merit $2500 Scholarships on May 11, and winners of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards on June 1 and July 11. By the conclusion of this year's competition, about 7,500 students will have won National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $30 million.

High school juniors entered the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of entrants. Less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors make the cut, and to become a finalist, students must submit a detailed application.

Most of these awards are renewable for up to four years of college undergraduate study
and provide annual stipends that range from $1,000 to $10,000 per year. Some provide a single
payment between $2,500 and $5,000. Recipients can use their awards at any regionally accredited
U.S. college or university of their choice.

To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, Semifinalists had to fulfill requirements
to advance to Finalist standing. Each Semifinalist was asked to complete a detailed scholarship
application, which included writing an essay and providing information about extracurricular
activities, awards, and leadership positions. Semifinalists also had to have an outstanding
academic record, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, and earn SAT or
ACT scores that confirmed their qualifying test performance. From the Semifinalist group, over
15,000 met Finalist requirements.