Plainfield North Grad Wins National Merit Award

Submitted by Plainfield School District 202

PLAINFIELD, IL — Plainfield North High School graduate Emily Terian is one of about 3,000 students nationwide to win a National Merit college-sponsored award as part of the 2015-16 National Merit Scholarship program.

The prestigious National Merit Scholarship program, in its 61st year honors academically talented high school seniors and lets them compete for National Merit Scholarship awards in several categories.

Terian, who graduated from PNHS in May 2016, earned National Merit Finalist status by building an outstanding academic record throughout high school and qualifying SAT scores, among other criteria.

More than 1.5 million high school juniors in over 22,000 high schools nationwide entered the 2015-16 National Merit Program by taking the 2014 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

The pool of semifinalists comprises less than one percent of all United States high school seniors and includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.

This year, 184 colleges and universities sponsored about 3,000 Merit Scholarship awards ranging from $500 to $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship. Terian plans to study neuroscience at the University of Chicago.

In all, about 7,500 students nationwide will win National Merit awards and scholarships in various categories worth about $33 million.