Highland Park, Deerfield Grads Win National Merit Scholarships

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Three recent graduates from Township High School District 113 have been awarded National Merit scholarships. National Merit scholars from the class of 2020 at Deerfield and Highland Park high schools include two awarded cash scholarships and one winner of a college-sponsored scholarship. The final set of this year's scholarship winners are scheduled to be announced in July, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

UPDATE: Highland Park High School Grad Wins National Merit Scholarship

The Evanston-based nonprofit picks 2,500 winners of the cash scholarships among those judged to have the "strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies." Each state's number of winners is proportional to its share of the nation's population.

Each college-sponsored scholarship provides between $500 and $2,000 every year for up to four years of undergraduate study, according to National Merit. There are 167 colleges and universities underwriting about 4,100 college sponsored scholarships in 2020. They include 92 private schools and 75 public ones spanning 43 states and Washington, D.C. The winners are picked from about 15,000 National Merit finalists by school officials from the sponsoring institutions.

According to National Merit, this year's winners from District 113 include the following recent graduates:

Annika S. Huprikar, of Deerfield, who plans to study computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was awarded a $2,500 cash scholarship from National Merit's own funds.

Griffin H. Minster, of Deerfield, was awarded a college-sponsored National Merit scholarship to Northwestern University. His probable career path was listed as undecided.

Tobe M. Obochi, of Highland Park, who plans to study computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was awarded a $2,500 cash scholarship from National Merit's own funds.

Another approximately 800 winners of college-sponsored scholarships will be announced in July, bringing the total number of winners from the class of 2020 to about 7,600, according to the nonprofit.

Last fall, the nonprofit announced five HPHS seniors and five DHS seniors had been named semifinalists. Four seniors at Rochelle Zell Jewish High School were also named semifinalists.

By the end of this year's competition, more than $30 million in scholarships will have been awarded, according to National Merit.

In addition to cash and college-sponsored scholarships, the nonprofit awards corporate-sponsored scholarships, most of which are restricted to the family of participating employers.

Earlier:

• Nine Students At Deerfield Schools Named National Merit Semifinalists
• Highland Park Seniors Named Merit Scholarship Semifinalists