<p>These are great stories, but I don’t understand why so often the news articles make a huge deal of scholarships as though they indicate exceptional merit…</p>
<p>“Utsarga Sikder Among the Nation’s Best in Physics” (New Jersey)</p>
<p>[SBHS</a> Student Among the Nation’s Best in Physics](<a href=“http://southbrunswick.patch.com/articles/sbhs-student-among-the-nations-best-in-physics]SBHS”>SBHS Student Among the Nation's Best in Physics | South Brunswick, NJ Patch) </p>
<p>A love of problem solving has taken one South Brunswick High School student around the globe as part the best and brightest kids from schools across the country. SBHS senior Utsarga Sikder was one of 20 students from across the U.S. to have emerged from a rigorous exam process that began last January, with approximately 3,600 students who participated, to become a member of the 2011 U.S. Physics Team.</p>
<p>During training camp last weekend, Utsarga fell just short of being named to the U.S. Physics Team Travelers who will compete in Bangkok, Thailand at the 42nd International Physics Olympiad in July. . . .</p>
<p>“I’m really excited to have made it this far,” Utsarga said. “I have some experience with these camps after I made the top 20 in chemistry the last two years, but I’m really excited to go with a new subject like physics. I’ve done this for a couple of years and I’ve worked hard, so to see that hard work pay off as a senior is really satisfying and exciting to me.”</p>
<p>Utsarga said he will be attending Princeton University in the fall, where he plans on studying a combination of mathematics, physics and chemistry. He was quick to praise the influence SBHS physics teacher Amrish Garg for helping him along the way. . . . (continued)"</p>
<p>“David Meerfield, Nation’s Youngest Winner of $100,000.00 Thiel Award Won’t be Attending Princeton. . . Just Yet” (New Jersey)</p>
<p>[Hun</a> School graduates David Merfield and John Marbach win honey of a fellowship; Awarded $100,000 each to fund their new ideas in technology](<a href=“http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2011/06/hun_school_graduates_david_mer.html]Hun”>Hun School graduates David Merfield and John Marbach win honey of a fellowship; Awarded $100,000 each to fund their new ideas in technology - nj.com)</p>
<p>"At just 17 years old, David Merfield is living the dream. The Princeton senior, who addressed his fellow Hun School graduates Friday as class valedictorian, has been accepted to Princeton University, one of the most prestigious universities in the country.</p>
<p>The only thing is: Merfield has decided to defer his fall enrollment to pursue his dream.</p>
<p>Merfield, along with fellow Hun School graduate John Marbach, are recipients of the Thiel Fellowship 20 Under 20 program, which awards 20 young innovators $100,000 to fund a revolutionary idea in technology. The two graduates are the youngest recipients of the Thiel Fellowship, launched this September by PayPal founder Peter Thiel.</p>
<p>More than 400 visionaries from all over the world applied for the fellowship. Although Merfield and Marbach applied jointly, they won independently and will pursue similar but separate projects. . . . (continued)</p>
<p>“School’s Out [for Pablo Suero, Salutatorian]” (Dominican Republic and Massachusetts)</p>
<p>[School’s</a> out! - Lowell Sun Online](<a href=“School’s out! – Lowell Sun”>School’s out! – Lowell Sun) </p>
<p>LOWELL – The nation’s oldest co-educational and first integrated high school remains a place where the American dream lives, where any student regardless of class, ethnicity or hardship can work hard and make it to the top.</p>
<p>The thousands gathered at the Tsongas Center last night to celebrate the graduation of the 656 members of the Lowell High School class of 2011, needed to look no further than their programs for inspiration and to find that determined spirit that has lived in so many LHS graduates since 1832.</p>
<p>The class valedictorian, Pheakdey Son, and Pablo Suero, the salutatorian, both came to Lowell as immigrant children, unable to speak English. . . . </p>
<p>Suero came to Lowell in the seventh grade from the Dominican Republic, not knowing a word of English. This year, he loaded up on Advanced Placement classes and graduated second in his class. Having turned down MIT, he is headed to Princeton University in the fall. . . . (continued)</p>
<p>He made the U.S. International Chemistry Olympiad team.</p>
<p>another new zealand kid.</p>
<p>[Princton</a> beckons Opotiki runner - Your News - Opotiki News](<a href=“http://www.opotikinews.co.nz/webapps/i/88879/228222/354526]Princton”>http://www.opotikinews.co.nz/webapps/i/88879/228222/354526)</p>
<p>I agree with phsyicshobo. Why is need-based financial aid presented in many of these articles as a merit award? It seems to me like it violates the privacy of these students to be publishing details of their financial aid packages.</p>
<p>I’d prefer to think it’s just because people don’t understand need-based financial aid as a concept, but I suspect that journalists deliberately obfuscate the issue because winning aid in a merit-based system appears more impressive than merely being given aid in a need-based system.
But I don’t understand why you would think anybody’s privacy is being violated. If the details of your financial-aid package are being published, it can only be with your consent (the University wouldn’t give out that information, I’m quite sure). The publications in question (those who’ve put out the stories we’re reading here) must have asked the subjects for each article how much financial aid they got.</p>
<p>“[Eddie] Owens Wins National Title in 2000 Meter Steeplechase [and sets a new national record]” (New York)</p>
<p>[Brooklyn</a> Eagle, Bay Ridge Eagle Brooklyn, NY :: daily paper in Brooklyn](<a href=“News - Brooklyn Eagle”>News - Brooklyn Eagle) </p>
<p>The fastest time ever by an American high school runner in the 2,000-meter steeplechase belongs to Packer Collegiates Eddie Owens.</p>
<p>The senior track star captured the national championship in the event during last weekends New Balance Nationals held on the campus of North Carolina A&T University.</p>
<p>This national championship caps a stellar track season for Eddie, his last as a high school runner, noted Owens father, Ed Sr.</p>
<p>Owens outpaced some of the best young runners in the country to finish the race in 5:49.40. The time ranked fifth all-time in the 2,000 among international high school athletes.</p>
<p>Just two weeks earlier, Owens won the NYSPHSAA NY State Championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and posted the fastest time in the U.S. this season for the event when he came in at 8:59.53 at the Larry Ellis Invitational on April 22, the fourth fastest high school mark ever. . . .</p>
<p>The top two finishers in the event will go on to represent the U.S. in the Junior Pan-American Games to be held from July 22-25 in Miramar, Fla.</p>
<p>Owens is a Footlocker Cross Country All-American and New Balance Outdoor (steeplechase: 2010, 2011), and Indoor (5K), Track All-American.</p>
<p>Headed to Princeton in the Fall, the Brooklyn native is also a whiz off the track as a National Merit Finalist, a member of Mu Alpha Theta, the national math honor society, and an AP Scholar.</p>
<p>Coca-Cola Scholar, Valedictorian and National Merit Scholar Sneha Goswami (Michigan)</p>
<p>[Holland</a> High School announces 2011 valedictorian and salutatorian - Holland, MI - The Holland Sentinel](<a href=“http://www.hollandsentinel.com/high_school_graduation/x724661032/Holland-High-School-announces-2011-valedictorian-and-salutatorian?img=2]Holland”>http://www.hollandsentinel.com/high_school_graduation/x724661032/Holland-High-School-announces-2011-valedictorian-and-salutatorian?img=2)</p>
<p>"Holland, MI Holland High School recently announced its Valedictorian and Salutatorian for the class of 2011.</p>
<p>Sneha Goswami is the valedictorian of Holland Highs class of 2011. She achieved the top GPA at Holland High, where college-level courses are given extra weight. Sneha plans to attend Princeton University but has not yet decided on a major.</p>
<p>In addition to her studies, Sneha served as co-president of Holland Highs Student Council. She competed on the Varsity tennis team and was active in Quiz Bowl, forensics, Model United Nations and National Honor Society. Outside of school, she chaired the Holland Youth Advisory Council.</p>
<p>Sneha won the prestigious National Merit Scholarship, which includes a $2,500 monetary award. She also won a $10,000 scholarship sponsored by Coca-Cola. Sneha is the daughter of Punam Giri. . . . (continued)"</p>
<p>“Alexandra Morton on Why I Will Be Studying at a U.S. University” (England)</p>
<p>[Why</a> I will be studying at a US university | Education | The Guardian](<a href=“http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/jun/16/ivy-league-uk-student]Why”>Why I will be studying at a US university | Higher education | The Guardian) </p>
<p>"One student starting at Princeton this autumn says it was the incredible facilities at the Ivy League university that clinched her decision–</p>
<p>Alexandra Morton, 18, has turned down offers from four top UK universities including Cambridge to study at Princeton, in the US, this autumn.</p>
<p>Morton says it was the breadth of subjects and “incredible facilities” at the Ivy League university that clinched her decision.</p>
<p>The Cheltenham Ladies’ College pupil will study for a four-year liberal arts degree, but hopes to major in English literature.</p>
<p>She is one of a growing number of UK students choosing US universities over their UK rivals. Morton says at least 10 of her school friends are also going to be undergraduates in the US this autumn.</p>
<p>She visited some US campuses with her parents three years ago on a family holiday. “Princeton was really impressive. It had a massive library and a beautiful campus. Some of the UK universities have buildings that are spread across cities, Princeton is more concentrated in one place.” . . .</p>
<p>Morton has lived in the UK since she was 11, but lived in the Middle East and Canada before that. “It is daunting to move, but it is really exciting,” she says. “I’ll discover a new way of life.”</p>
<p>Zack McCourt, Under 18 National Champion in Tennis (Florida)</p>
<p>[Tiger</a> by the Tail](<a href=“Tiger by the Tail - Gary Curreri - The Tennis Recruiting Network”>Tiger by the Tail - Gary Curreri - The Tennis Recruiting Network)</p>
<p>[Zack</a> McCourt National Under 18 USTA Winner](<a href=“USTA: Find a Tennis Tournament & Play Tennis Near You”>USTA: Find a Tennis Tournament & Play Tennis Near You) </p>
<p>When Zack McCourt first tried tennis lessons at age six, he hated it.</p>
<p>“I absolutely hated it,” McCourt said emphatically. “I gave it another shot when I was nine, and played once or twice a week, but finally fell in love with it when I was 10.”</p>
<p>Fast forward eight years and McCourt, 18, of Sunrise, Florida, is headed to Princeton University. . . .</p>
<p>His biggest career win and first gold ball came recently at the Boys 18 & Under USTA National Spring Championship in Mobile, Alabama where he defeated Austin Smith of Cumming, GA in three sets, 4-6; 6-3; 6-1.</p>
<p>“Next to signing with Princeton, it was by far my biggest achievement,” said McCourt, who also received the sportsmanship award at the tournament after helping set up nets for a local Quickstart program while on the verge of cramping. . . . (continued)</p>
<p>Lauren Hoffman, Theater Lover, National Merit Scholar and “Renaissance Woman” (New York)</p>
<p>[HAFTR</a> Student Wins National Merit Scholarship - Five Towns, NY Patch](<a href=“http://fivetowns.patch.com/articles/haftr-student-wins-national-merit-scholarship]HAFTR”>HAFTR Student Wins National Merit Scholarship | Five Towns, NY Patch) </p>
<p>HAFTR High Schools 2011 salutatorian recently found out that she has another distinct honor being one of 2,500 students awarded the National Merit Scholarship.</p>
<p>Lauren Hoffman, 17, was selected as a winner of the $2,500 award last month out of more than 15,000 finalists. She said she would use the money to either reduce her tuition at Princeton University or to cover some costs to study abroad. . . .</p>
<p>Naomi Lippman, HAFTR High Schools principal of general studies, had nothing but good things to say about Hoffman.</p>
<p>Lauren Hoffman is an extraordinarily wonderful young woman, she said. The National Merit Scholarship award is yet another reflection of how unique and outstanding this young woman is. Shes an intelligent, enthusiastic learner who embraces learning, not for the GPA or merit score, but because she wants to learn and synthesize in a brilliant way.</p>
<p>Hoffman took on some of the most challenging courses at the school while also directing the student play, being a part of the art institute and engaging in community service, Lippman said. As the 2011 salutatorian, Hoffman has the second highest GPA in general and Judaic studies, weighted for all the classes.</p>
<p>Shes like a renaissance woman. I expect great things for her, Lippman said. I do not say that lightly. Whatever path she chooses, she will excel and achieve. . . . (continued)</p>
<p>“Brandon Holt, Civil Rights Activist, Headed to Princeton” (Tennessee)</p>
<p>[Teen</a> activist sees historical parallels in civil protests | The Tennessean | tennessean.com](<a href=“http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110604/NEWS/306040019/Teen-activist-sees-historical-parallels-civil-protests]Teen”>http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110604/NEWS/306040019/Teen-activist-sees-historical-parallels-civil-protests)</p>
<p>"Yesterday morning, while other teenagers slept in or lounged in front of their televisions, Brandon Holt and more than 20 of his peers from across Middle Tennessee mopped sweat from their brows while marching to the state Capitol brandishing homemade posters and a petition.</p>
<p>For Holt, this was part of an increasingly familiar routine. This was his eighth protest in less than a month.</p>
<p>The 18-year-old graduate of Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School spent the last days of his senior year organizing seven protests against what has been dubbed the Dont Say Gay bill, legislation that would prevent teaching about homosexuality in schools.</p>
<p>Yesterday, he and his peers turned their attention toward Nashvilles anti-discrimination ordinance that was overturned when Gov. Bill Haslam signed HB 600 into law on May 24.</p>
<p>The cluster of protests has united high school students from several local schools under the banner of gay rights.</p>
<p>I really feel like this is the civil rights movement of our time, Holt said.</p>
<p>Friends and community leaders say protest efforts by the Princeton University-bound Holt are not a surprise but rather what they have come to expect from him. . . . (continued)</p>
<hr>
<p>. . . and another nice story profiling Brandon:</p>
<p>[Burch:</a> A young man’s protest | Nashville City Paper](<a href=“http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-voices/burch-young-mans-protest]Burch:”>http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-voices/burch-young-mans-protest) </p>
<p>Brandon Holt is a young man on a mission. Whether that mission is impossible or not remains to be seen. After all, hes trying to bring Tennessee government to its senses a truly Herculean task. But I wouldnt be surprised if he and his fellow student-activists eventually manage to muck out our state legislatures smelly chambers, just as Hercules once cleansed the stinky stalls of King Augeas. According to legend, the Olympic games were founded to celebrate the victory of Hercules over the rotten-egg rulers of his day.</p>
<p>Holt recently graduated from Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School and is now bound for Princeton University. During his senior year, he helped organize seven protests against the now-infamous Dont Say Gay bill, which along with other bizarre bits of bigoted buffoonery (euphemistically called legislation) have made Tennessee the butt of many a late-night comedians ridicule. . . .</p>
<p>Holt has also been quoted nationwide by news organizations such as NBC News and msnbc.com, which reported him saying: This is the civil rights movement of our time, and if we don’t take advantage of our opportunity to stand up for what we believe in, then we have lost that opportunity. And this is something that we all feel so strongly about. . . . (continued)</p>
<p>“Valedictorian, National Merit Finalist and 2010 Clark Scholar at Texas Tech University, Laura Xu” (Texas)</p>
<p>[Laura</a> Xu - WAFF.com: North Alabama News, Radar, Weather, Sports and Jobs-](<a href=“http://www.waff.com/story/10595507/laura-xu]Laura”>http://www.waff.com/story/10595507/laura-xu) </p>
<p>[TTU</a> Clark Scholars Program](<a href=“http://www.clarkscholars.ttu.edu/]TTU”>http://www.clarkscholars.ttu.edu/) </p>
<p>"ValedictorianLaura Xu GPA of 4.88</p>
<p>She is the daughter of Wenwei and Yuping Xu. Laura has been very active and productive while a student at Lubbock High School. She has consistently been a winner in UIL Math and Science in both district and state levels and in Academic Decathlon where she placed first in the state in Math with a perfect score and fourth in overall scoring this year. Our valedictorian has served her fellow Westerners as a Class representative of the Student Council and Senior Class secretary. She has also been a member of the National Honor Society for two years and served as co-founder and co-president of PANDA, a student organization promoting diversity. Her service has also extended to the community, volunteering over 120 hours at the TTU Health Sciences Center and with the Scholastic Book Fair. Laura has garnered many accolades and awards during her years at Lubbock High School. She has been selected as a Teen of the Month and a Who’s Who all four years along with being named as a runner-up All-Westerner Girl. Chosen as the recipient of the Gary Fortenberry Award for Academic Excellence both her junior and senior years, our valedictorian has received an Academic Letter in Number Sense, Calculator, and Math and Science for four years. On the national level, she has been recognized as a National Merit Finalist and a regional winner of the Toshiba ExploraVision award, one of six awarded across the nation. Based on her research in the area of cancer fighting drug delivery, I suspect Laura will help find a cure for this horrible disease in the future. Laura will attend Princeton University this fall.</p>
<p>“Massey whiz kid ready for international math olympiad: Henrich Jiang will represent Canada in Amsterdam” (Canada)</p>
<p>[Massey</a> whiz kid ready for international math olympiad](<a href=“Home | Windsor Star”>Home | Windsor Star) </p>
<p>WINDSOR, Ont. – Henrich Jiang will represent Canada in Amsterdam this summer at the International Mathematical Olympiad, hes a top performer in national math contests and hes headed to Princeton in the fall.</p>
<p>But according to the 18-year-old Massey student, he had little talent when he began competing in math contests while still in elementary school.</p>
<p>I started out, like average, but I kept practicing, Jiang said with a shrug Tuesday, displaying a humility his teachers say undersells his ability and accomplishments.</p>
<p>Starting in Grade 9, Heinrich was driven to do very well in these competitions, said Chris Ing, the teacher who serves as contest manager at Massey, a mathematics mecca that has earned a reputation as one of the top high schools for math in the country. . . . (continued)</p>
<p>“Annie Woehling Named to U.S. Lacrosse National All Academic Team” (Pennsylvania)</p>
<p>[Womens</a> recruit: Radnor rising senior goalie Woehling commits to Princeton](<a href=“http://phillylacrosse.com/2010/07/02/womens-recruit-radnor-rising-senior-goalie-woehling-commits-to-princeton/]Womens”>Women's recruit: Radnor rising senior goalie Woehling commits to Princeton - PhillyLacrosse.com) </p>
<p>[U.S</a>. Lacrosse National All Academic Team Announcements](<a href=“Home - Radnor Township School District”>Home - Radnor Township School District)</p>
<p>Radnor [ . . .] goalie Annie Woehling has made a commitment to play Division I lacrosse at Princeton University.</p>
<p>Woehling was a First-Team US Lacrosse All-American this year, while helping the Red Raiders capture their second straight Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) championship.</p>
<p>Woehling, also an Academic All-American who is a member of the National Honors Society, is undecided on a major but is considering some areas of science. At Princeton she will play for US Lacrosse Hall of Famer Chris Sailer, a Haverford High graduate.</p>
<p>Princeton had the right balance of academics and lacrosse that I was looking for, said Woehling. The team had very obvious chemistry on my visit that reminded me a lot of the Radnor team. Coach Sailer, coach (assistant Amy) Altig and (assistant) DJ (Michele DeJuliis) are all great people that have a lot to offer. . . . (continued)</p>
<p>“[Jonathan] Esposito To Play in Governors Cup Before Heading to Ivy League” (Connecticut)</p>
<p>[Conard’s</a> Jonathan Esposito To Play In Governors Cup Football Game Before Heading To Princeton - Courant.com](<a href=“s – Hartford Courant”>http://www.courant.com/sports/high-school-football/hc-governors-cup-0625-20110624,0,7859564.story) </p>
<p>Like many successful high school football players, Conard-West Hartford running back Jonathan Esposito had dreams of playing at the highest level of college football. That all changed the day he got a phone call from the coaching staff at Princeton.</p>
<p>“At first I was like, ‘Oh, that’s kind of cool.’” Esposito said. “My parents have always stressed the importance of academics, but it wasn’t until I actually came in contact with Ivy League schools that I really understood the importance. Right after I got a voice mail from the Princeton coach, my parents said, ‘If you can get into an Ivy League school, you’re going to an Ivy League school.’”</p>
<p>Saturday, less than a month before heading to Princeton, N.J., to begin college, Esposito plays his final game as a high school football player. Esposito is one of three running backs on the state roster for the 13th Governors Cup game, which pits Connecticut’s best high school seniors against an All-Star team from Rhode Island. The game is at 4:30 p.m. at Fontana Field at Southington High School. . . .</p>
<p>Esposito was contacted by the Princeton coaching staff after his junior year. Calls then came from Yale, Harvard and Dartmouth. That changed the game for Esposito, who had been participating in summer camps at UConnand was being lightly courted by former UConn coach Randy Edsall and coaches from Boston College.</p>
<p>“Up to that point I had visions of playing big time I-A football,” Esposito said. “I always envisioned that. But once Princeton contacted me, and a bunch of other Ivy League schools, after talking to my family and friends, they really stressed what it could mean to me to get an Ivy League education. … At first I was like, ‘But what if I get an offer from a big time school? What if I can play here? What if I can play there?’ But then after actually going and seeing the players and watching them practice, I realized the Ivy League is intensely tremendous football. If there was a way I made it to the NFL someday, and my football career ended, having an academic background from an Ivy League school like Princeton, you’re set. If you’re good enough, they’ll find you wherever you are, but having that academic background is really what’s so important.” . . . (continued)</p>
<p>Zhan Okuda-Lim, budding politician (Nevada)</p>
<p>[Student</a> provides unique perspective on school budget](<a href=“http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jun/15/student-provides-unusual-perspective-school-budget/]Student”>Student provides unique perspective on school budget - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper) </p>
<p>Zhan Okuda-Lim has an unusual perspective on the Clark County School District and education in Nevada.</p>
<p>The graduating Valley High School senior was chairman of the districts student advisory board for the past three years, and served as a student representative to the Nevada Education Department the past two years.</p>
<p>Okuda-Lim, who is the outgoing student body president at Valley, also served as chairman of the Nevada Youth Legislature 21 high school students selected to advise state legislators on youth issues. He plans to attend Princeton University in the fall, majoring in public policy and political science.</p>
<p>With a firsthand look at how budget decisions are made in Carson City and how they affect Clark County students, the Sun sat down with Okuda-Lim last week to talk about the budget and reform issues facing the district. This interview was edited for clarity and brevity. . . . (continued)</p>
<p>Carla Javier: Clark Scholar and Presidential Scholar Semifinalist (Tennessee)</p>
<p>[TTU</a> Clark Scholars Program](<a href=“http://www.clarkscholars.ttu.edu/]TTU”>http://www.clarkscholars.ttu.edu/) </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.clarkscholars.ttu.edu/2010%20Scholars/Carla%20Javier.jpg[/url]”>http://www.clarkscholars.ttu.edu/2010%20Scholars/Carla%20Javier.jpg</a></p>
![http://www.clarkscholars.ttu.edu/2010%20Scholars/Carla%20Javier.jpg[/url]](http://www.clarkscholars.ttu.edu/2010%20Scholars/Carla%20Javier.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
<p>Carla Javier is a 2010 Clark Scholar at TTU and was named a Presidential Scholar Semifinalist. Appropriately, given her interest in education, she also writes a column for her Knoxville, TN, newspaper on educational issues. Here she ponders course selections for her first year at Princeton.</p>
<p>[Carla</a> Javier: Course selection 101 Knoxville News Sentinel](<a href=“http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/jun/28/carla-javier-course-selection-101/]Carla”>http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/jun/28/carla-javier-course-selection-101/)</p>
<p>“Do you remember my infamous pro/con lists from the days of college selection? Well, my tendency to overthink has struck once again, this time over the matter of course selection. . . . (continued)”</p>