They’ll soon begin their studies at prestigious universities.
When the National Merit Scholarship Program committee eyed its 15,000 finalists, three Mercer Island High School seniors stood out as part of a group of 2,500 winners nationwide who were “judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies.”
The Islanders will each receive $2,500 scholarships to go toward their university studies beginning this fall.
Locals garnering the awards are Rhett Hounsell (headed to Stanford University), Sophia Loiselle (set for Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and another student who chose anonymity for this story. The awards are supported by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s own funds.
Hounsell, whose probable career field is foreign service, said he’s happy and proud of himself for notching the scholarship.
“I honestly didn’t expect to get it just because I know, obviously, it’s super difficult to become a semifinalist, but then even fewer people get the National Merit Scholarship. So, when I heard I got it, I was actually pretty surprised, but really excited overall,” Hounsell said.
Participating in the foreign service is a good way for Hounsell to continue his love of traveling while representing his country and becoming more involved with the people and culture along the way, he said.
Hounsell envisions himself one day working as a diplomat or in another position in the state department, or perhaps with the United Nations or nonprofits “that really work internationally to help foster collaboration between different countries and nations,” he said.
When Loiselle arrives at MIT, she plans to delve into the mechanical engineering realm.
“I love to create, whether that’s 3D art, or I also have taught myself a lot about electronics and carpentry as well,” she said. “Engaging in projects like that by myself and with larger teams of people has always been really fun, and that’s definitely inspired me to want to learn more about engineering.”
Loiselle said she’s grateful to receive the National Merit Scholarship and is excited to begin her studies at MIT.
Looking down the road at what she hopes to achieve in her field, Loiselle said she’d like to use her engineering background to solve “some sort of societal challenge.” It’s unknown what that may be, but “I think a background in engineering can be very applicable to a lot of different things,” she added.
National Merit Scholarship recipients’ names came to the forefront while the committee evaluated the difficulty level of subjects they studied and grades earned; their scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test; their contributions and leadership in school and community activities and more.
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MIHS students give presentation on June 10.
They’ll soon begin their studies at prestigious universities.
‘Our roots are in the Island, and so it was meaningful,’ sister says.
