11 New Trier Students Earn National Merit Scholarships

WINNETKA, IL — Eleven New Trier High School students are among the latest group of about 3,500 National Merit scholars announced by the Evanston-based National Merit Scholarship Corporation Wednesday. The winners were selected from among 15,000 finalists who met academic and other requirements by college admissions officials to receive college-sponsored scholarships.

The recent graduates will receive between $500 and $2,000 annually to cover up to four years of undergraduate study. This group of Trevian Merit Scholars won't be travelling too far: all 11 scholarships were sponsored by the University of Chicago and Northwestern University.

Daniel Chang, Wilmette

• Northwestern University
• Probable career field: Computer science

Elliot H. Chow, Wilmette

• Northwestern University
• Probable career field: Industrial engineering

Elliot B. Jung-Beeman, Wilmette

• Northwestern University
• Probable career field: Biomedical engineering

Liam J. Oh, Wilmette

• Northwestern University
• Probable career field: Theater

Thomas S. Okun, Wilmette

• University of Chicago
• Probable career field: Economics

Jason Paul, Wilmette

• Northwestern University
• Probable career field: Electrical engineering

Dillan Prasad, Glencoe

• University of Chicago
• Probably career field: Medicine

Allison Salmon, Glenview

• Northwestern University
• Probable career field: Economics

Vivian Wu, Wilmette

• University of Chicago
• Probable career field: Medicine

Students are evaluated on their academic record, including how difficult their classes were, standardized test scores, extracurricular contributions, an essay and a recommendation from a high school official.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is a nonprofit founded in 1955. A majority of the $31 million in college scholarships it distributes are underwritten by sponsors – about 178 colleges and 232 corporations.

Last month, the organization awarded $2,500 single-payment scholarships to two New Trier seniors, Zachary Crispino of Wilmette and Benjamin Citow of Glencoe. The month prior, the organization named over 1,000 winners of its corporate sponsored awards.

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