Highland Park High School Grad Wins National Merit Scholarship

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — The National Merit Scholarship Corporation Monday named a recent Highland Park High School graduate among the final group of National Merit scholarship winners of the 2019-20 school year.

Ariana Goldstein, of Highland Park, received a college-sponsored scholarship to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, becoming the second member of HPHS's class of 2020 to receive the honor. She plans to pursue a career in computer science, according to National Merit.

Each of the college-sponsored scholarships offer students $500 and $2,000 every year for up to four years of undergraduate study, according to National Merit.

School officials from the sponsoring institutions pick the winners from about 15,000 National Merit finalists.

Last fall, the nonprofit named five HPHS seniors as semifinalists.

A total of 167 colleges and universities underwrote about 4,100 college sponsored scholarships this year. Participants included include 92 private schools and 75 public ones spanning 43 states and Washington, D.C.

Earlier this year, a Highland Park student set to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was awarded a $2,500 cash scholarship.

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:

• Highland Park, Deerfield Grads Win National Merit Scholarships
• Highland Park Seniors Named Merit Scholarship Semifinalists