Lake Forest, Lake Bluff Students Win National Merit Scholarships

LAKE FOREST, IL — The first winners of National Merit scholarships from the class of 2020 include four students set to graduate from high schools in Lake Forest, a Lake Forest resident wrapping up her senior year at Stevenson High School and a Lake Bluff resident attending Illinois Math and Science Academy. The five local high school seniors are among about 1,000 winners of corporate-sponsored scholarship awards financed by about 160 corporations and business organizations, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced.

The winners were selected from students who advanced to the finalist level of the National Merit competition and met eligibility requirements set by the sponsors of their scholarships. Corporate-sponsored scholarships can be limited to children of employees, those who are residents of a specific service area or those who seek to pursue college majors and careers favored by the sponsor.

Most of the scholarships provide four years of annual stipends ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, according to National Merit Scholarship Corporation, an Evanston-based nonprofit. Business sponsors have provided about $820 million over the 65 years of the competition.

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Local winners of 2020 corporate-sponsored National Merit scholarships include:

Elizabeth Coughlin, a Woodland Academy senior and a Northbrook resident who intends to pursue a career in astrophysics, was awarded a National Merit Abbvie Inc. Scholarship. The pharmaceutical company sponsors the scholarships to recognize outstanding students who are children of its employees.

Cheryl Chen, a Stevenson High School senior and Lake Forest resident who intends to pursue a career in law, was awarded a National Merit ACI Worldwide, Inc. Scholarship. The electronic payments software company sponsors the scholarships to recognize the children of employees.

Angelina G. Chan, a Lake Forest Academy senior and a Long Grove resident who intends to pursue a career in biological engineering, was awarded a National Merit Abbvie Inc. Scholarship.

Rachel Quan, a Lake Forest High School senior and Lake Forest resident who intends to pursue a career in scientific research, was awarded a National Merit Abbvie Inc. Scholarship.

Sydney Wang, a senior at the Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora and a Lake Bluff resident who intends to pursue a career in physics, was awarded a National Merit Abbvie Inc. Scholarship.

Megan Wong, a Lake Forest High School senior and Lake Bluff resident who intends to pursue a career in mechanical engineering, was awarded a National Merit Abbvie Inc. Scholarship.

In September, 15 students from Lake Forest high schools were named among the 16,000 semifinalists in the program nationwide. The winners of $2,500 National Merit cash scholarships will be announced next month, with college-sponsored scholarships awarded in July and July. By the end of the 2019-20 competition, more than $30 million in college costs will be covered for about 7,600 students across the country.