4 Buffalo Grove Students Named 2022 National Merit Scholars

BUFFALO GROVE, IL — Four Buffalo Grove students have been named winners for the 2022 corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship Program. So far, 57 National Merit winners have been announced in Illinois.

The winners were announced on Wednesday and include approximately 1,000 high-school seniors from across the U.S. According to a press release from the National Merit Scholarship Program, the corporate scholarships are financed by about 140 corporations, company foundations and other business organizations.

The awards are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study and students get a stipend that’s anywhere between $1,000 - $10,000 each year. Some awards include a single payment between $2,500-$5,000.

Here are the Buffalo Grove winners for the corporate-sponsored scholarships:

• Michelle Li, of Adlai Stevenson High School, was awarded a national scholarship by AbbVie. Probable career field: information systems management.
• Andrew Z. Liu, of Adlai Stevenson High School, was awarded a national scholarship by the companies of MMC. Probable career field: Astrophysics.
• Lillian M. You, of Adlai Stevenson High School, was awarded a national scholarship by the companies of MMC. Probable career field: Mathematics.
• Eric C. Zhou, of Adlai Stevenson High School, was awarded a national scholarship by Northrop Grumman Corporation. Probable career field: Computer Science

Winners were selected from students who advanced to the finalist level and met criteria set by corporate sponsors. Most corporate-sponsored scholarships are limited to qualifying children of employees, while some are also open to residents of certain areas or those who plan to pursue studies a corporate sponsor wants to encourage.

A total of 16,000 students were selected as finalists for the scholarships and the final winners are candidates “judged to have the strongest combination of academic skills and achievements, extracurricular accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.”