York Senior Naha Named a National Merit Scholarship Winner

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced its 2013 Merit Scholar designees and $2,500 scholarship award-winners on Monday. Included on the list is York Community High School senior Ushasi Naha.

Naha, who plans to study medicine in college, was named one of about 8,000 students nationwide who earned the award, including 108 from Illinois.

According to an NMSC press release, winners are the finalists determined “to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies,” based on an appraisal of academic records, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, a recommendation and a finalist’s own essays.

The total scholarship money awarded is more than $35 million, the release said, with most “underwritten by approximately 440 independent corporate and college sponsors that share NMSC’s goals of honoring scholastically talented youth and encouraging academic excellence at all levels of education.”