Mercy Senior Julia Kelly Named National Merit Finalist

Julia Kelly, a senior at Mercy High School, has been named a finalist in the 2011 National Merit Scholarship Program.  Julia is now eligible to receive one of the 8,400 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $36 million, currently being offered to these academically talented students.

Mr. Steven Brickey, Vice Principal for Academics, congratulates Mercy senior Julia Kelly on being named a national Merit Scholarship Finalist.

Among the 1.5 million high school juniors in 22,000 high schools who entered the 2011 National Merit Scholarship program, less than one percent becomes finalists. In order to be named a finalist, a student must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the high school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s performance on the qualifying test.  Merit scholars are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

Julia, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Chris Kelly of South Glastonbury, was named a semi-finalist in the National Merit Scholarship program in September 2010.  She also has the distinction of being named a Governor’s Scholar, one of only thirty students in the state of Connecticut to receive this award.  She is a two-year member of the Catherine McAuley Chapter of the National Honor Society, where she serves as Vice President of Tutoring.  Julia is also an AP scholar, Mercy Ambassador and recipient of the Harvard Book Award, as well as many awards for excellence in her high school studies.