Lake Forest Seniors Win College-Sponsored National Merit Scholarship

LAKE FOREST, IL — Seniors set to graduate Lake Forest Academy and Lake Forest High School were named among the year's first group of winners of college-sponsored scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Shaan Samra, of Wadsworth, was awarded a scholarship to Santa Clara University, a Catholic school in Northern California. The Lake Forest Academy senior plans to pursue a career in finance.

Megan E. Parsons, of Lake Forest, was awarded a scholarship to Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The Lake Forest High School senior plans to pursue a career in biomedical engineering.

According to the Evanston-based nonprofit, 155 higher education institutions — 82 private and 73 public — are covering the cost of about 4,000 college-sponsored scholarships this year.

The scholarships cover between $500 and $2,000 a year for up to four years of undergraduate study at the sponsoring school.

National Merit representatives released the names of more than 2,600 of them Wednesday, and the rest will be revealed on July 11.

Once complete, the nonprofit will have awarded about $28 million in scholarships to about 7,500 incoming college students.

Winners are selected based on results from the preliminary SAT and students' roles in activities inside and outside of school, an essay and a recommendation from a high school official.

Last fall, 11 seniors from Lake Forest high schools were named National Merit semifinalists, the highest number in several years.

In April, two Lake Forest residents and a Green Oaks resident were awarded corporate-sponsored scholarships from National Merit.

Then, last month, a pair of students — one from LFA and one from LFHS — were awarded $2,500 cash scholarships paid for by National Merit's own funds.