Ithaca High School is proud to announce that Alexandra (Alex) Elia, a member of the Class of 2025, has been named a recipient of the $2,500 National Merit Scholarship Award. Alex is one of 2,500 exceptional students selected from a nationwide pool of over 15,000 finalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.
The National Merit $2,500 Scholarship recognizes students in each state who demonstrate the strongest combination of academic achievements, leadership, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The number of winners in each state is proportional to the state’s share of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.
Winners are selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors who evaluate each finalist’s academic record, the difficulty of coursework, PSAT/NMSQT® scores, extracurricular involvement, leadership roles, personal essay, and school recommendations.
"Alex Elia is a dedicated learner and leader in our classroom,” said AP Physics teacher Matthew Fellman. “She takes her learning very seriously, but also is one of the warmest, silliest students in the class. It is wonderful working with her and watching her grow as a student this year.”
"I’m so honored and grateful to receive this scholarship, which I would like to dedicate to my faithful hound,” Alex said. “Thank you so much to my friends, family, teachers, and counselors for their unwavering support!”
Ithaca High School congratulates Alex on this remarkable achievement and wishes her continued success as she begins an exciting new chapter, studying engineering at Cornell University in the fall.