4 Northbrook Students Named 2023 National Merit Scholarship Winners

NORTHBROOK, IL — Four Northbrook students were part of a group of 7,200 high school seniors recently announced as National Merit scholarship winners. The scholarships are financed by U.S. colleges and universities.

Winners are picked based on results from the preliminary SAT, roles in school and extracurricular activities, a recommendation from a school official and a student essay, according to a news release from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, based in Evanston.

The Northbrook winners of $2,500 are:

• Irene Y. Liu, who is pursuing a probable career field of computer science, is a student at Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora
• Elan Schonfeld, who is pursuing a probable career field of neurosurgery, is a student at Glenbrook North High School
• Catherine G. Tang, who is pursuing a probable career field of law, is a student at Glenbrook North High School
• Jaden R. Welch-Jani, who is pursing a probable career field in international law, is a graduate of Glenbrook South High School. Welch-Jani, who graduated a year early from high school, recently finished his freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania.

The cash scholarships are the second of four rounds of annual scholarship winner announcements. Last month, National Merit representatives announced about 840 winners of corporate sponsored-scholarships.