10 Naperville Students Named 2023 National Merit Scholars

NAPERVILLE, IL — Ten students from Naperville were recently chosen from among 15,000 students nationwide to receive 2023 National Merit scholarships.

The 2023 National Merit Scholars from Naperville are:

• Jonah M. Elias, of Waubonsie Valley High School, received a $2500 scholarship to study mechanical engineering
• Shan R. Gupta, of Naperville North High School, received a $2500 scholarship to study applied mathematics
• Helena Ilic, of Naperville Central High School, received a $2500 scholarship to study computer science
• Mohammad Habeeb Khan, of Naperville North High School, received a $2500 scholarship to study economics
• Patrick J. Kulaga, of Naperville Central High School, received a $2500 scholarship to study biomedical engineering
• Jerry Luo, of Naperville Central High School, received a $2500 scholarship to study computer science
• Anika Prasad, of Neuqua Valley High School, received a $2500 scholarship to study finance
• Derek B. Sisbarro, of Neuqua Valley High School,, received a $2500 scholarship to study biomedical engineering
• Yina Wang, of Illinois Math and Science Academy, received a $2500 scholarship to study applied mathematics

The winning students were chosen by a group of high school counselors and college admissions advisors after being "judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies," a news release said.

Finalists were evaluated on their PSAT and National Merit Qualifying Test scores, academic records, letters of recommendations, community contributions and essay submissions.

When the 2023 National Merit Scholarship program comes to a close, some 7,100 finalists will have been chosen as Merit Scholars, receiving a total of close to $28 million in scholarships to attend accredited colleges and universities throughout the United States.