Single Skokie Student Makes Cut As National Merit Semifinalist

SKOKIE, IL — A single student from Niles Township high school qualified as a semifinalist for a 2022 National Merit scholarship, according to the nonprofit that administers the program.

That represents a significant decline in the number of semifinalists compared to the class of 2021. Last year, nine students at Niles West, eight at Niles North and one at Ida Crowne Jewish Academy in Skokie were named semifinalists for the scholarships.

Porter G. Shawver, a senior at Niles North High School, was the lone semifinalist in the class of 2022, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced Wednesday.

Shawver is among 16,000 semifinalists nationwide who qualified by achieving one of the state's highest scores on the 2020 Preliminary SAT.

To make it to the finalist round in February, semifinalists must submit an application with a recommendation from an official at their high school.

Earlier: 4 More Niles West Students Named 2021 National Merit Scholars

About 7,500 scholarships worth nearly $30 million will be awarded to finalists before the end of July 2022, according to the scholarship corporation, an Evanston-based organization founded in 1955 to run the program.

Those merit scholarships include about 4,000 sponsored by colleges and universities, 2,500 sponsored by the nonprofits own funds and about 1,000 provided by corporations and business organizations.

Students will find out in February whether they make it to the finalist stage. The scholarship winners will be announced starting in April.

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