Nearly 50 students in the New Trier Township area and Evanston Township High School have been named as semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship program which awards almost $30 million in college scholarships every year.
“Earning National Merit recognition is a testament to the commitment and academic excellence of these ETHS students and their families,” said ETHS Superintendent Marcus Campbell. “ETHS continues to invest in the future of our Wildkits and in outstanding educators who make our entire community proud.”
High school juniors across the country entered the 2024 program by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, a statement on the NTHS website says. It also says that only approximately 16,000 earned the semifinalist designation.
“This nationwide pool of Semifinalists represents less than 1% of all U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest scoring entrants of the state, who will have the opportunity to continue in the competition for 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million,” the NTHS statement says.
The six ETHS seniors named semifinalists include: Jacob DiCrescenzo, Anna Grigorescu, Sarah Schulkin, Alexander Senechal, Aidan Thomson and Emmett Zaslow.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is an Evanston-based not-for-profit that distributes three types of scholarships every spring, totaling nearly $28 million for more than 7,100 students.
The mission of National Merit Scholarship Corporation is to recognize and honor the academically talented students of the United States, the NMSC website says.
“The enduring goals of NMSC’s scholarship programs are to promote a wider and deeper respect for learning in general and for exceptionally talented individuals in particular, to shine a spotlight on brilliant students and encourage the pursuit of academic excellence at all levels of education and to stimulate increased support from individuals and organizations that wish to sponsor scholarships for outstanding scholastic talent,” says the website.
43 high school seniors studying in the New Trier Township area were also named as semifinalist, including five from Loyola Academy in Wilmette, one from North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka, a home-schooled Northfield resident and three dozen members of the class of 2024 at New Trier Township High School.
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“These students have achieved an extraordinary accomplishment, and we are proud to be part of their academic journey,” said Director of Communications and Alumni Relations with New Trier Township High School District 203 Nicole Ziegler Dizon. “We have no doubt that they have bright futures ahead as they continue to live the New Trier motto: ‘to commit minds to inquiry, hearts to compassion, and lives to the service of humanity.'”
This year’s semifinalists from the New Trier Township area include: Emmett F. Boyd, Leah M. Harker, Daniel B. McGuire, Elizabeth B. O’Hara, Townes X. Robertson, Alison K. Beanblossom, Tal M. Belkind, Jacqueline R. Berman, Emily J. Boyd, Tolga K. Bozkurt, William Choi, Maya Echambadi, Jasmine Fang, Hayden M. Fountain, Alivia A. Gao, Ashley Geohas, Constance H. Gillum, Samuel Kaiser, Jonah V. Kim, Sophia A. Korobov, Charles J. Ktsanes, Nalin V. Kundu, Magnus J. Lee, Megan K. Lu, Daniel C. Matten, Jacob A. Matten, Ella L. McCurdy, Andrew E. Moore, Catherine H. Moore, Michael J. Moran, Lauren Moutvic, Niyati Naveen, Raina M. Patel, Sarah F. Popoff, Colleen S. Schindler, Rohan M. Sharma, Caleb Sim, Pranshu Venkatesh Rao, Victoria I. Wenzke, Andrew Y. Xia, Jasper S. Zettelmeyer, Jameson T. Tao and Robert Szwarc.
To become a finalist, a semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, and write an essay, the NTHS statement says. It also says semifinalist’s participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received must also be submitted.
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.