TOWSON, MD—Towson High School senior Max Kumar Abubucker is among the 2,500 distinguished high school seniors from across the nation who have earned $2,500 National Merit® Scholarships. The scholarship recipients were chosen from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Abubucker, who lives in Towson, plans a career in law.

National Merit $2500 Scholarship winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.

The scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who reviewed the students’ academic records, community service, and leadership activities as well as an essay written by the finalist and a recommendation written by a high school administrator.

National Merit Scholarship Corp. (NMSC®) finances most of these single-payment National Merit $2500 Scholarships. Corporations and company foundations that sponsor awards through NMSC also help underwrite these scholarships. Scholars may use their awards at any regionally-accredited U.S. college or university.

This is the second announcement of National Merit Scholars in 2023 by the NMSC, which named recipients of National Merit® corporate-sponsored scholarships on Apr. 26 and will name winners of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards on June 7 and July 10. By the conclusion of this year’s competition, more than 7,140 finalists will have won National Merit Scholarships worth approximately $28 million.