What's Happening in Catonsville, MD…

The 2019 National Merit $2500 Scholarship winners were announced recently, and two Catonsville students are on the list.

The two are Michael K. Bowler, who attends McDonogh School, and who is thinking of becoming a mathematician; and Daniel J. Li, a student at Catonsville High School with an interest in political science. Officials at schools where students receive honors like this can use banner printing to announce their win and celebrate their achievements.

The Catonsville students were selected from among 15,000 finalists, and 2,500 winners were named. The students honored are among the second group of scholars announced during the year. The names of over 1,000 winners of the Merit Scholarship, which is corporate sponsored, were revealed in April.

There will be more winners announced in June, and again in July. By year's end, approximately 7,600 students will have received scholarships that total over $31m. The winners can put the funds toward any regionally accredited university or college in the United States.

The students were chosen by a panel comprised of high school counselors and college admissions officers. They picked the winners based on an essay; their leadership and contributions, both to the community and to their school; standardized test scores; the difficulty of the courses they took; their grades; and a recommendation written by an official at their high school.