Polk County Public Schools

Fifth National Merit Scholar From Polk Named

July 13, 2010

Lesley P. Ferguson, a Lakeland resident and 2010 graduate of the International Baccalaureate program at Bartow High, was announced July 12 as a National Merit Scholar by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Ferguson’s National Merit Scholarship is funded by Boston’s Northeastern University where she will attend this fall. Ferguson has listed a probable career field of marine biology. Colleges and universities sponsoring National Merit Scholarships provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study.

More than 1.5 million students entered the 2010 National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The 2010 National Merit Scholars represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and are the highest scoring entrants in the country on the test. Approximately 8,400 high school seniors are named National Merit Scholars

Ferguson joins four other public school students from Polk to be named as a 2010 National Merit Scholar. They were announced May 25 as National Merit Scholars and are listed below with their residence, school from which they graduated, college or university they will attend and their probable field of study.

• Brandon M. Azzarella, Lakeland resident and George Jenkins High graduate, University of Florida, probable career field of social science education
• James W. Karson, Lakeland resident and Bartow International Baccalaureate graduate, Auburn University, probable career field of engineering.
• Ryan J. Newell, Lakeland resident and Bartow International Baccalaureate graduate, University of Central Florida, probable career field of mechanical engineering.
• Stephen A. Samples, Lakeland resident and Bartow International Baccalaureate graduate, Auburn University, probable career field of aerospace engineering.

The July 12 announcement from the National Merit Scholar Corporation concluded the 2009-2010 National Merit Scholar program.

Semifinalists in the 2010-2011 National Merit Scholar program will be announced in September.