GUILDERLAND — Guilderland High School seniors Jeremy Collison, William Dong, William Wang, and Michael Zhu were among about 2,500 students announced earlier this month as the latest group of 2016 National Merit Scholarship recipients.

The National Merit $2,500 Scholarships winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

These scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the finalists and their high schools, including academic records, difficulty level of subjects studies and grades earned; scores from two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.