EASTON — Superintendent Lisha Cabral and Principal Kelly Cavanaugh are pleased to announce that Oliver Ames High School senior Henry Ma has been named a National Merit Scholar.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition that recognizes students for their outstanding performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). Typically, more than 1.5 million students enter the program each year.
Ma was one of more than 7,140 Finalists to have earned the “Merit Scholar” recognition and will receive a portion of nearly $28 million in college scholarships. Ma plans to attend Harvard University in the fall.
Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a pool of more than 15,000 Finalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program. National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners are the Finalists in each state determined to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
Scholars are selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the Finalists and their high schools including academic record, difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT); contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the Finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.
“On behalf of our Oliver Ames school community, I want to congratulate Henry for being named a National Merit Scholar, which is an incredible honor,” said Principal Cavanaugh. “Throughout his time at OAHS, Henry has been a model student, both inside and outside of the classroom and he is very deserving of this scholarship.”
Ma has continuously excelled academically and in extracurriculars during his time as a student at Oliver Ames. He is ranked fourth in the senior class and has served as treasurer for the school’s National Honor Society chapter, a class representative, president of the Computer Science Club and a peer leader, and has been a DECA member.
Ma participates in an eShadowing program through Medical School Headquarters and attended an advanced physics academy through Bridgewater State University. He has volunteered with multiple organizations and initiatives, including but not limited to, the Boston Medical Center Cancer Prevention Vaccine Study, Yawkey House of Possibilities, Ames Free Library and the Boston Medical Center Telehealth Epilepsy Care Collaborative.
He has both received and been nominated for a multitude of prestigious awards, including through the AP Scholar program, the Atlantic-Pacific Mathematics League and Southeastern Massachusetts Mathematics League, and DECA, and has been recognized on the Honor Roll. He is also a skilled piano player and violinist, having several years of experience with each instrument.
About the National Merit Scholarship Corporation:
Since its founding, NMSC has recognized over 3.4 million students and provided some 451,000 scholarships worth over $1.8 billion. The honors awarded by NMSC to exceptionally able students are viewed as definitive marks of excellence. Recipients of Merit Scholarship® awards, Achievement Scholarship® awards, and corporate-sponsored Special Scholarships have increased the nation’s respect for intellectual accomplishments and have contributed significantly to its talent pool of future leaders. Additional information about the National Merit Scholarship Program can be found here.
