Villa Maria Announces Three National Merit Finalists and Class of 2014 Valedictorian and Salutatorian

Villa Maria Academy High School announced last week that three of their seniors have been selected as National Merit Scholarship Finalists for 2014. The Class of 2014 also received exciting news regarding their valedictorian and salutatorian.

Katherine DeFonzo of Wayne was selected as a finalist and Valedictorian, while Lindsey Nestor of Malvern and Emily Garvey of West Chester were announced as finalists as well. Catherine Napoli of Norristown was named Salutatorian for the class.

“I feel very honored and grateful to have received both these recognitions,” DeFonzo said. “I’m extremely thankful for the wonderful education Villa has provided me. It’s made this possible for me to receive both of these recognitions.”

DeFonzo is a member of the National Honor Society, the Tri-M Music Honor Society, and the Mathematics Honor Society. She participates in the music department’s chorus, Madrigals group, ensemble and orchestra, and performs with the Malvern Prep Theatre Society. She plans to attend Fordham University next year to pursue a degree in neuroscience.

“I’m really excited about being selected as Salutatorian,” Napoli said. “Villa has enabled me to do well and care about my school work. The encouragement I get from my teachers and my peers has helped me succeed.”

Napoli performs in the music department’s chorus and Madrigals; acts with the Malvern Prep Theatre Society; volunteers with Children of Mary in-school service organization; writes for the yearbook; edits the school’s literary magazine, Festival; and participates in mock trial. Napoli will either attend Fordham University or American University next year to study history and communications.

“I’m very proud of being recognized as a National Merit finalist,” Nestor said. “This is something I’ve been working for since freshman year. I’ve worked really hard and it’s hard to get this far. My education at Villa Maria prepared me for this by making an academically challenging environment that encourages its students to be their best.”

Nestor is a member of the Mathematics and Spanish Honor Societies and is the Vice President of the National Honor Society at Villa Maria. She participates in stage crew; writes for the yearbook, Reflections; competes in the state Mathletes; and contributes to the robotics team. While Nestor hasn’t made a final decision on a college yet, she hopes to attend Columbia University for engineering.

“It kind of came as a surprise,” Garvey said. She joked that she hadn’t received her finalist letter in the mail, so she first heard about it through the school announcement. “I’m excited though. I feel my experiences at Villa Maria have made me a more well-rounded student who can succeed academically and personally.”

Garvey is an athlete on the track and field hockey teams; a writer for the yearbook; a member of the Mathematics, Spanish and National Honor Societies; a competitor in the state Mathletes; and a homeroom representative for the Children of Mary. She will be attending the University of Pennsylvania next year for a degree in chemistry.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition open to high school students who plan to continue their education at a college or university and take the Preliminary SAT. Only about 50,000 students, out of 1.5 million applicants, are accepted into the competition. Following a series of questionnaires, essays and school recommendations, only 15,000 of those students initially accepted become finalists. The National Merit Scholarship Program will give 8,000 of those students a variety of awards, including corporate- and college- sponsored scholarships.

About Villa Maria Academy

Villa Maria Academy High School (Malvern, Pa.) is a private Catholic high school, preparing girls for college and beyond in the tradition of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. At Villa Maria, students are taught to be critical thinkers and confident leaders. These young ladies pursue a course of study that will continually reinforce analytical problem-solving skills, high-level thinking, and increasingly independent work. Villa Maria empowers young women to lead lives of spiritual growth, intellectual inquiry and Christian service. For more information, visit www.vmahs.org.