We’ve known Nicholas Voltaggio is pretty special since he began writing for Morristown Green in 2017.
Turns out the National Merit Scholarship Program agrees.
The nonprofit has named the Morristown High School senior a semifinalist in its 66th annual competition. It’s quite an achievement: Fewer than one percent of U.S. high school seniors qualify, based on a screening test.
Other area semifinalists include Morristown High School senior Colin Yip, and Debarton School seniors William Z. Li and Connor Teehan.
Next spring and summer, some 7,600 finalists will receive scholarships of up to $2,500, from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, 220 businesses and corporations, and 180 colleges and universities.
Finalists will be selected based on a school official’s recommendation, an essay, and a record of academic achievement, leadership and community involvement.
Nicholas should have no trouble mounting a strong case.
He has honed his writing skills compiling a weekly entertainment guide and covering school theatrical productions and local news for MG, while sharpening his powers of persuasion on the MHS Speech and Debate Club. He co-captained the school’s Mock Trial Team to its first appearance in the Morris County semifinals.
Nicholas also has worked on the Morris School District’s anti-racism policy as secretary of the Equity and Inclusion Student Council. He has spent summers leading book- and school supply drives as a volunteer for Morristown’s Leadership for Tomorrow Program.
Focusing on math in the school’s STEM Academy, Nicholas received an Advanced Placement Scholar with Honor Award. Proficient in Italian, he serves on the executive board of the MHS chapter of the National Italian Honor Society.
Of course, he’s a member of the National Honor Society, too — and the Tri-M Music Honor Society. In his spare time, he performs with the Morristown High School Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra as a cellist.
Way back in his Frelinghuysen Middle School days, Nicholas played a CEO in an entrepreneurial exercise. Don’t be surprised if you see that title in front of his name someday.
Best of luck with the scholarship, Nicholas!
