TOLEDO – Two students from Maumee Valley Country Day School in Toledo were winners of the prestigious National Merit Scholarship, and three others were finalists. 

 

Neena Dzur '22 and Mia Westfere '22 both earned the award and Isabelle Broman '22, Arthur Chen '22, and Bryan Li '22 were National Merit Finalists. 

 

Dzur will head to New York City to attend Columbia University and Westfere is headed to Washington, D.C., to attend American University. 

 

Dzur and Westfere were among approximately 7,600 National Merit Scholarships winners who earned more than $30 million.

 

Broman will attend The Ohio State University, Chen will attend the University of Rochester in New York, and Li will attend Georgia Tech. 

 

"Maumee Valley has been and will continue to be the choice for families that seek an excellent education for their children," said Head of School Lynn Casto. "Five finalists and two recipients indicate that MVCDS continues to provide an exceptional college-preparatory education that can compete strongly on a national level and sets each child on their own journey of excellence following graduation. Five designees is also a testament to the hard work of each of our finalists and winners. The National Merit designation is not possible without concerted dedication, resilience, and hard work on the part of each student honored."

 

More than 1.5 million students from 21,000 high schools entered the competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. 

 

The five finalists at MVCDS account for more than 8 percent of the Class of 2022. 

 

"I am incredibly proud of our entire senior class and their accomplishments. National Merit historically is a measure of academic excellence and college readiness. However, success is defined in many ways for our seniors, and National Merit is just one measure," Casto said. "I am celebrating not only our National Merit recipients but also our seniors who have had doors open for them in the visual arts, musical theater, athletics, and academics. This is a testament to the fact that our Class of 2022 is destined for great things, and they are well prepared for their individual journeys. Maumee Valley develops the whole child. The entire MVCDS community is proud to have been a part of each senior's growth and development."

 

Merit Scholar designees are selected based on their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation said in a statement.

 

"MV has provided me with an education that is as expansive as it is deep. Intensives and independent studies enabled me to explore a range of subjects, while also honing my love for writing. Having had this distinct set of experiences, I went into the scholarship and college application process with a much fuller sense of myself and my interests," Dzur said. "I continue to benefit so much from my friends and teachers here at MV. Their talents, energy, and motivation give me the confidence to carry out challenges like scholarship and college applications, even when the end goals appear distant. They give me the courage to try and try again."

 

It is the second consecutive year there has been a National Merit Scholarship winner. Jeremy Mahoney '21 earned this award last year.