May 9, 2005 By: yunews
May 9, 2005 -- Shalom Sokolow of Manhattan, a senior at 鶹ýӳ High School for Boys (鶹ýӳHS) in Washington Heights, received a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship for his performance on the 2003 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
Mr. Sokolow, 17, received a score of 224 out of 240 on the PSAT and was one of 2,500 high school seniors across the country to receive the scholarship. The students were chosen from a pool of 15,000 finalists.
Mr. Sokolow will study at Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel next year, after which he will attend Columbia University to study political science. At 鶹ýӳHS, he is vice president of both the debate team and ARISTA, the school’s National Honors Society. Mr. Sokolow is also editor of The Academy News, the school’s newspaper.
“I was very surprised and very pleased to have received the scholarship,” Mr. Sokolow said. One of his favorite subjects is history, which enables him to “understand the circumstances that created the world in which we now live.”
Scholarship recipients were selected by a committee that evaluated each candidate’s skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in college studies.
“Shalom’s academic achievements, along with his demonstrated leadership ability and maturity, explain why he is so highly regarded by teachers, administration, and peers,” said Ya’acov Sklar, 鶹ýӳHS principal. “He is an independent thinker and needs virtually no direct guidance on how to tackle complex issues.”
Mr. Sokolow is the son of Judy and Moshe Sokolow.
