HIGHLAND PARK, IL — A senior at Highland Park High School earned a corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship, becoming one of the first group of students to be awarded money for college from the Evanston-based nonprofit.
Noah Hersh was among the first group of winners to be announced as part of the 69th annual National Merit scholarship program. The Highland Park resident plans to pursue a career in music technology.
Hersh’s scholarship was paid for by W.W. Grainger, a the Lake Forest-based industrial supplier, which sets aside money for 10 college scholarships worth $2,000 for children of some of its approximately 26,000 employees.

About 94 corporations and business organizations finance the corporate-sponsored awards, contributing a total of more than $870 million over the nearly seven decades of National Merit scholarships.

The awards range from $1,000 to $10,000 per year, with some renewable annually for four years of undergraduate study and others offering one-time payments of $2,500 to $5,000 for use at accredited U.S. colleges or universities.
More than 16,000 seniors were designated National Merit semifinalists on a state-representational basis last fall.
Seven students from Highland Park High School’s class of 2024 qualified as semifinalists, up from just one the prior year.
Each state’s number of semifinalists is proportional its percentage of graduating high schooler nationwide. Semifinalists were the highest-scoring program entrants in each state and represented less than one percent of the nation’s seniors.
To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, semifinalists first had to meet the requirements for advancing to become a finalist standing. They needed to fill out an application with an essay and information about their extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions.

They also needed to have an outstanding academic record, collect a recommendation from a high school official and earn qualifying standardized test scores.
More than 6,870 finalists will be awarded nearly $26 million worth of National Merit Scholarships by the end of this year’s competition.
Winners are picked from finalist candidates with the strongest combination of academic skills and achievements, extracurricular accomplishments and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
In addition to the corporate-sponsored awards, about 160 colleges and universities will sponsor scholarships for about 3,800 students, and another 2,500 students will receive $2,500 cash from the nonprofit’s own funds.

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