3 Downers Grove Students Named 2025 National Merit Scholars

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — Three Downers Grove students are among 2,900 high schoolers nationwide who received a 2025 college-sponsored scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Each student receives a scholarship of up to $2,500 a year to help further their education.

The awards are given to students based on their scores on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test scores. Semfinalists are evaluated based on a scholarship application with an essay, their academic records and participation in extracurricular activities.

The following Downers Grove students were named National Merit Scholars in this round of awards:

• Syed Ahmed of Downers Grove North High School, who plans to study medicine at the University of Texas at Dallas
• Meaghan J. Wernett of Downers Grove North High School, who plans to study government service at Loyola University
• Zander Benjamin Yee of Downers Grove North High School, who plans to study video game design at Purdue University

This year, National Merit Scholarship Corporation plans to award over 6,930 students National Merit Scholarships worth a total of around $26 million.