3 Evanston Students Awarded National Merit Scholarships Of $2,500 Cash

EVANSTON, IL — Three Evanston students, including two from Evanston Township High School, were awarded $2,500 cash scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation last week.

The trio is among 2,500 scholarship winners to receive cash scholarships from National Merit's own funds. The number of winners in each state is proportional to the state's share of the total number of graduating seniors in the nation, according to the Evanston-based nonprofit.

Sophie K. Lammers, of Evanston Township High School, has a probable career field of physics.

Anneke R. Stracks, of Beacon Academy, has a probable career field of environmental science.

George H. Weiler, of Evanston Township High School, listed his probable career field as undecided.

According to National Merit, winning students are those that are found to possess "the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies." The single-payment scholarships can be used at any accredited college or university in the country.

Winners are picked based results from the preliminary SAT, roles in school and extracurricular activities, a recommendation from a school official and a student essay.

In addition to the $2,500 scholarships, National Merit distributes corporate-sponsored and college-sponsored scholarships.

The winners of the corporate-sponsored scholarships were announced last month. The approximately 4,000 winners of the college-sponsored scholarships are set to be announced in June and July.

By the time the 2022 program is complete, about 7,500 merit scholars will have been allocated about $28 million in scholarship to attend U.S. colleges and universities.

Read more: 16 Evanston Students Are National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists