WINNETKA, IL — Two graduating high school seniors from New Trier High School have been named among the more than 2,900 winners of college-sponsored National Merit scholarships announced Wednesday.
This year, nearly 150 colleges and universities — 77 private and 72 public — are awarding between $500 and $2,000 a year for four years of undergraduate study.
Michael Moran, of Wilmette, was awarded a scholarship to the University of Southern California, a private school in Los Angeles. Moran plans to pursue a career in the field of business, according to National Merit.
Sarah Popoff, of Winnetka, was awarded a National Merit scholarship sponsored by Vanderbilt University, a private school in Nashville, Tennessee. Popoff plans to pursue a career in the field of law, according to National Merit.
Moran and Popoff were among the three dozen students from New Trier High School’s class of 2024 who were named National Merit semifinalists last fall based on the results of Preliminary SAT tests taken during their junior years, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, the Evanston-based nonprofit that has administered the program since 1955.
All semifinalists were required to submit a detailed application with an essay and a recommendation from a high school official in order to become eligible for scholarships.
Earlier this spring, seven New Trier seniors were awarded $2,500 cash scholarships from National Merit and one was picked for a corporate-sponsored scholarship.
This year’s final group of National Merit scholarships — about 700 more recipients — is due to be announced on July 10.
By then, nearly 6,900 recent high school graduates will have been awarded nearly $26 million in scholarships for their undergraduate studies.
Earlier: 43 New Trier Area Students Named National Merit Semifinalists
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