Simone Sullivan selected as National Merit Scholarship finalist

Warwick Valley High School senior Simone Sullivan has been selected as a finalist in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship program, placing her in the top one percent of student entrants from across the country.

WVHS Principal Marguerite Fusco recently presented Simone with a Certificate of Merit from the scholarship program at the high school.

“This is a prestigious honor,” Fusco said. “This places Simone among an elite group of students who have high academic promise. The whole district celebrates with Simone and her family on being named a National Merit finalist. It’s quite an accomplishment and we are so proud of her.”

‘Humble, gracious, determined and focused’

Simone is now in the running to receive a Merit Scholarship. Scholarship winners are chosen based on their abilities, skills and accomplishments. Selectors also consider the high school’s written recommendation, information about the student’s activities and leadership and the finalist’s own essay.

“I was thrilled to be named a finalist and am honored to receive this recognition,” Simone said.

Simone will be attending Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she plans to major in chemical engineering in the fall. Northwestern was her first choice. She applied early decision and found out she was accepted in mid-December.

“Simone Sullivan is an amazing young woman,” said WVHS Director of Guidance Mary Fox. “She is humble, gracious, determined and focused. She and her parents worked closely with her counselor to craft the best schedule they could that would adequately challenge her and when some of those classes resulted in a conflict that could not be resolved, she looked for creative solutions and options that were beyond her school day so that she would be prepared for the next chapter in her journey. She is kind, caring and so deserving of this recognition.”

Success outside the classroom as well

Simone also excels as an athlete. She is currently competing on the ski team She also plans to run on the cross country and outdoor track teams. Last year Simone won the Section 9 alpine skiing championship.

In 2019, she ran on Warwick’s 3,200-meter relay team at the outdoor track state championships.

Simone is also one of two student representatives to the WVCSD Board of Education for the 2020-2021 school year.

NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 400 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.