3 Plainfield Students Named 2025 National Merit Scholars

PLAINFIELD, IL — Three students attending Plainfield high schools were named 2025 National Merit Scholars.

Connor Orr, from Plainfield East High School, and Omer Mescioglu and Serena Sabzaali, from Plainfield North High School, were among the 2,500 students nationwide chosen from a pool of more than 15,000 finalists to receive a $2,500 scholarship.

"These exceptional students exemplify the pursuit of academic excellence that we foster throughout District 202," Superintendent Glenn Wood said in a statement. "We take immense pride in their accomplishments and are confident this prestigious honor will open new doors as they embark on their future endeavors."

To become a National Merit Finalist, students must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the qualifying performance. The finalist and a school official must also submit a detailed scholarship application, including the student's self-descriptive essay and information about the student's participation and leadership in school and community activities.

About 1.3 million high school juniors in about 21,000 high schools nationwide took the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test to enter the 2025 National Merit Program.

About 130 corporations and businesses will also give about 770 corporate-sponsored scholarships to finalists who meet those organizations’ criteria. In addition, about 150 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 3,600 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for finalists attending their institutions.