7 Highland Park High School Seniors Named National Merit Semifinalists

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Seven students at Highland Park High School were named semifinalists for 2024 National Merit Scholarships, marking an increase in the number of semifinalists from the community, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

The seven HPHS seniors were among the more than 16,000 high school students who qualified from across the country based on the results of Preliminary SAT tests that they took last year, with the number of semifinalist slots in a state determined by its share of the nation's sum of graduating seniors.

This year's semifinalists from Highland Park High School are:

• Edward M. Brennan
• Cooper T. Evans
• Noah M. Hersh
• Benjamin N. Kerch
• Kalin B. Patel
• Jackson A. Roberts
• Elizabeth S. Smith

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation is an Evanston-based not-for-profit that distributes three types of scholarships every spring, totaling nearly $28 million in scholarships awarded to more than 7,100 students.

About 840 students will receive corporate-sponsored awards, which are mostly reserved for the children of people who work for one of about 160 different businesses.

Another 2,500 students will receive $2,500 cash each, to be evenly distributed among different states.

And the largest group of winners is made of up finalists picked to receive 3,800 scholarships of between $500 and $2,000 a year for up to four year of undergraduate study. About 160 different colleges and universities finance the awards.

In order for semifinalists to qualify as a finalist and become eligible for scholarships, they must submit a detailed application, including an essay and recommendation from a high school official.

Last year, only one member of the Highland Park High School class of 2023 was named a National Merit semifinalists, compared to 10 semifinalists from the prior graduating class.