By Stephanie Cameron – Sports Editor

Two members of the Law student body, Kira Topalian and Souyma Kundu, were recently named National Commended Scholars.

The designation of National Merit Commended Scholars is given to students who achieve exceptional scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Only two percent of the 1.5 million entrants each year across the country achieve the designation of National Merit Commended Scholar.

“I was surprised when I won,” Topalian said. “I hadn’t realized I had gotten so far in the competition, it was nice to find out what I accomplished.”

Since its founding, NMSC has recognized 2.9 million students and provided more than 377,000 scholarships worth about $1.5 billion.

“There is absolutely no excuse for any college bound senior to have financial restraints be a roadblock,” Jonathan Law principal Mr. Thompson said.

In late September, high scorers on the PSAT receive Letters of Commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise.

“It was great honor to be named a National Commended Scholar,” Kundu said. “It is a privilege to represent Jonathan Law in a positive way.”

Topalian and Kundu are currently experiencing the exciting, yet stressful college application process.

Topalian’s perspective schools include: The University of Chicago, Northeastern University, Stanford University, and Brown University.

Kundu is applying to a plethora of institutions including: Cornell University, Boston University, Lehigh University, and the University of Illinois.

“We all know how terrific both Souyma and Kira are as people,” Thompson said. “To recognize their academic accomplishment through this scholarship is very special.”

(Photo courtesy Wendy Kopazna)