Six Phillips Academy Students Awarded Scholarships Through National Merit Competition

Four of the six recipients given full scholarships worth $2500 each.

May 13, 2009 -- The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) has announced winners in the 2009 competition for awards in the National Merit, National Achievement, and college- and corporate-sponsored National Merit scholarship categories. Four Andover students were awarded full National Merit Scholarships worth $2,500 each. They are Christian C. Anderson ’09 of Andover, Mass.; Emanuel L. Feld ’09 of Kinderhook, N.Y.; Alicia C. Keyes ’09 of Concord, Mass.; and Jiageng Luan ’10 of Worcester, Mass. They were selected from more than 1.5 million high school students who took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Earlier this year, they were among 37 Andover students named National Merit Scholarship finalists.

In addition, the NMSC released winners of the college- and corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarships, which are supported by grants from either colleges or corporations. A college-sponsored National Merit Scholarship was awarded to James R. Foster ’09 of Verona, Wis., and a corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship was awarded to Andover student Vincent Jow ’09 of Portsmouth, N.H.

All winners were chosen on the basis of their accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies by a committee of college admission officers and high school counselors. Students are designated on a state representational basis, in numbers proportionate to each state’s percentage of graduating high school seniors.