Student At Niles School Awarded National Merit Cash Scholarship

NILES, IL — A student at a Catholic high school in Niles was named Wednesday among the latest group of National Merit Scholars. The Northridge Preparatory School senior will receive a cash scholarship awarded directly by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Brendan Wagner, of Elmhurst, intends to pursue a career in the field of biochemistry, according to the Evanston-based nonprofit.

Winners of the $2,500 scholarships were judged to possess the strongest combination of skills, accomplishments and potential to succeed in a challenging college environment, according to a release. They were selected by a committee comprised of college admissions officials and high school counselors from among the pool of more than 15,000 finalists.

There were 111 winners in Illinois among 2,500 Merit Scholars designated in the country. The number of winners in each state in proportional to the state's share of the nation's total number of graduating high school seniors, according to the NMSC.

In Niles Township High School District 219, three students were announced as National Merit semifinalists last fall, making the cut among 1 percent of high school juniors taking the preliminary SAT. One Niles West senior has so far been named a National Merit Scholar this year.

Last month, National Merit announced more than 1,000 winners of corporate-sponsored scholarships. In June and July, it will announce the winners of 4,100 scholarships sponsored by colleges. By the end of the 2018-19 school year, the organization said it would have awarded more than $31 million worth of scholarships to about 7,600 of more than 15,000 finalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship program.

Earlier:

• Trio Of District 219 Students Named National Merit Semifinalists
• Niles West Students Awarded National Merit Scholarships