Lake Bluff Student Wins National Merit Scholarship

LAKE BLUFF, IL — One Lake Bluff student was named in the first group of winners in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

Albert Jie, who attends Lake Forest High School, was awarded the national Merit Pfizer Inc. Scholarship. Jie's probable career field is Biomedicine, according to the National Merit Scholars Corporation, and this award recognizes the outstanding students of Pfizer colleagues' children.

Each of the 830 winners was judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in college. The scholars were selected from students who advanced to the Finalist level in the competition and met the criteria of their scholarship sponsors.

This year's National Merit Scholarship Program began in October 2022 when high school juniors took the PSAT/NMSQT, which served as a screening for the entrants. The highest-scoring students in each state were named semifinalists, representing less than one percent of the nation's high school seniors.

Only 15,000 students moved on to become finalists based on their scores and other requirements. By the end of the 2025 program, more than 6,930 students will have earned the "Merit Scholar" title and nearly $26 million will be given to students.