Student From Plainfield Wins National Merit Scholarship

PLAINFIELD, IL — A group of 2022 National Merit Scholarship winners were announced Wednesday, and a student from Plainfield is among them.

Jacob J. Seiden, a senior at Plainfield North High School, received the National Merit Fifth Third Scholarship, which goes to children of company employees.

Seiden is likely to study chemical engineering in college, according to officials.

The Plainfield student is among 57 National Merit winners announced in Illinois.

The winners were announced on Wednesday and include about 1,000 high school seniors from across the U.S. The corporate scholarships are financed by about 140 corporations, company foundations and other business organizations, according to a news release from the National Merit Scholarship Program.

The awards are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study and students get a stipend that's anywhere between $1,000 and $10,000 each year. Some awards include a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000.

Winners were selected from students who advanced to the finalist level and met criteria set by corporate sponsors. Most corporate-sponsored scholarships are limited to qualifying children of employees, while some are also open to residents of certain areas or those who plan to pursue studies a corporate sponsor wants to encourage.

A total of 16,000 students were selected as finalists for the scholarships and the final winners are candidates "judged to have the strongest combination of academic skills and achievements, extracurricular accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies."