New Trier High School Senior Wins National Merit Scholarship

WINNETKA, IL — A New Trier High School senior is among the first members of the class of 2020 to be awarded a National Merit scholarship. The Glenview resident is one of about 1,000 winners of corporate-sponsored scholarship awards financed by about 160 corporations and business organizations, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced.

Winners were selected from students who advanced to the finalist level of the National Merit competition and met eligibility requirements set by the sponsors of their scholarships.

Margaret K. Lin, who intends to pursue a career in politics, was awarded the National Merit E*Trade Merit Scholarship. The scholarships are available to the children of employees of the online brokerage.

Most of the scholarships provide four years of annual stipends ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, according to National Merit Scholarship Corporation, an Evanston-based nonprofit. Business sponsors have provided about $820 million over the 65 years of the competition.

In September, 48 students from New Trier area high schools were named among the 16,000 semifinalists in the program nationwide. The winners of $2,500 National Merit cash scholarships will be announced next month, with college-sponsored scholarships awarded in July and July. By the end of the 2019-20 competition, more than $30 million in college costs will be covered for about 7,600 students across the country.