West Orange Student Receives National Merit Scholarship

WEST ORANGE, NJ – The National Merit Scholarship named West Orange resident Ellis Fertig, a student at Montclair Kimberly Academy, a National Merit Scholarship winner.

Fertig shared, “I am extremely grateful to receive this honor, and the scholarship opportunities will be a great help to me as I pursue higher education.” She added, “I feel somewhat conflicted because I do not think that a standardized test taken at 16 years old can determine much, but that can be said about most of the college process.”

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Fertig said she studied “intensely” for the PSAT, and was elated when she found out that she was a semifinalist. She remarked, “I initially did not think it was a big deal until looking through the list of associated college scholarships.” Fertig observed, “It's a bit wild to think that a test taken in the gym on a cold October morning could have such a large impact, as pursuing a college degree will have a significantly smaller financial burden with the award, and I feel so lucky that my work paid off.”

When asked what she likes to do in her free time, Fertig responded, “I really enjoy reading and spending time outside. I am extremely excited about nature and the future of the environment, so I tend to read a lot of environmental nonfiction.” She continued, “I loved Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass and Merlin Sheldrake's Entangled Life. I think that it is crucial that this generation's relationship with the earth stems from a place of love, rather than a growing fear of the changing climate.”

To further her cause of helping the environment, Fertig volunteered to remove invasive species from local parks as a junior in high school. That project created a passion for recognizing plant and animal species alongside learning about New Jersey ecology. “I have had a lot of fun spending the summer hiking the Lenape trails with my brothers and foraging for snacks along the way,” noted Fertig.

When she’s not outside enjoying nature, she’s inside coding. She commented, “I've loved computers and experimenting with code since I was a kid, and as of now, I am on track to pursue computer science at the University of Southern California next year.” She added, “My main hope is for my work to contribute towards creating a cleaner Earth and mitigating harm on the environment. Computers and managing data will help society optimize energy systems and model potential future scenarios. I would like to work with these tools to find solutions to the world's major problems.”

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Her advice to students studying for the PSATs and SATs, “Throughout my junior and senior year of high school, I felt a lot of stress regarding the college process and my future. Academic stress can be so mentally taxing, so I would encourage students to remember that they cannot be defined by any test score or grade-point-average. It's worth taking the time to engage with the topics that excite you and take breaks for your well-being.”

The 2024 NMSC began when high school juniors sat for the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), the initial screen for entrants. In September 2023, more than 16,000 Semifinalists were named on a state-representational basis in numbers proportional to each state’s percentage of the national total of graduating high school seniors. Semifinalists were the highest-scoring program entrants in each state and represented less than one percent of the nation’s seniors.

Each Semifinalist completed a detailed scholarship application, which included an essay describing leadership positions and contributions in school and community activities, showing an outstanding academic record and being endorsed and recommended by a high school official. Semifinalists also had to take the SAT® or ACT® and earn scores that confirmed their performance on the initial qualifying test. From the Semifinalist group, over 15,000 attained Finalist standing, and about half of the Finalists were chosen to receive National Merit Scholarships.

According to NMSC, "These Merit Scholar designees join more than 2,900 other college-sponsored award recipients who were announced in June. Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among the Finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program who will attend their institution. College-sponsored awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship." This year, 149 colleges and universities are sponsoring approximately 3,700 Merit Scholarship awards. Sponsor colleges include 77 private and 72 public institutions located in 42 states and the District of Columbia.

There are over 6,900 2024 National Merit Scholars. High school graduates will receive scholarships for undergraduate studies -- worth a total of nearly $26 million. In addition, there are two other types of National Merit Scholarships: 2,500 National Merit students received $2,500 Scholarships, for which all Finalists competed, and approximately 770 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who met criteria specified by their grantor organizations.

The NMSC website states, "[NMSC] is a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance. It was founded in 1955 to conduct the National Merit Scholarship Program. Over the past 69 years, approximately 382,000 outstanding young individuals have won National Merit Scholarships worth more than $1.3 billion. The majority of awards offered each year are underwritten by approximately 320 independent corporate and college sponsors that support NMSC’s efforts to recognize scholastically talented youth and encourage the pursuit of academic excellence."

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