Assemblywoman Donna Ferrara recently announced the names of the 15th Assembly District recipients of 2001 governor's scholarships of academic excellence awards.

"It is truly a pleasure to announce the names of the deserving young individuals from this area of New York State who have been selected for merit scholarships based on academic performance," said Ferrara. "I congratulate them for their scholastic achievements."

Students are selected for the scholarships by their schools based on academic performance as outlined in the regulations of the NYS commissioner of education. A total of 8,000 scholarships are awarded annually to the highest rated students in NY. This year, 2,000 students will receive annual awards of $1,500 and 6,000 will receive $500. Every registered high school in the state is allocated at least one $1,500 award.

To be eligible, a student must be a legal resident of NYS for at least one year before Sept. 30. Students must also attend an approved NYS post-secondary institution - a college, university or business school - as a full time, matriculated student by the fall 2001 semester.

Local student merit scholars chosen include East Meadow High School students David Jaffe, Mira Kinariwala, Christopher Ng, Sara Resch and Eric Weber.