Highland Park Seniors Named Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Four seniors from Highland Park High School have been named 2020 National Merit semifinalists. The semifinalists announced Wednesday include approximately 16,000 high-school seniors set to compete for fewer than 7,000 scholarships of up to several thousand dollars due to be awarded next spring.

Over 90 percent of the semifinalists will be named as finalists for the scholarship, according to a release from the Evanston-based National Merit Scholarship Program. Of those 15,000 finalists, about half will win a scholarship.

More than 1.5 million students applied for the highly competitive scholarship by taking the 2018 preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualification Test, which provides an initial screen of entrants.

The semifinalists represent less than 1 percent of all high school seniors in the U.S. For each state, the number of semifinalists is proportional to that state’s percentage of the total graduating seniors in the country.

Last year, 12 members of Highland Park High School's graduating class were named semifinalists and three were awarded scholarships. Here are this year's semifinalists at HPHS for National Merit scholarships:

• Gracie B. Dickman
• Ariana N. Goldstein
• Tobe M. Obochi
• Mitchell B. Svetov

To become a finalist, the program explains that students and a high school official must submit a detailed application. The application must contain information about a student’s academic record, leadership abilities, the honors and awards they’ve received and more.

Students will find out in February whether they make it to the finalist stage. The scholarship winners will be announced beginning in April 2020.

Earlier:

• 12 Highland Park Students Named National Merit Semifinalists
• Trio Of Highland Park Students Among Merit Scholars
• HPHS, NCSDS Students Awarded Cash Scholarships

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