2 Loyola, 5 New Trier Seniors Awarded Cash National Merit Scholarships

WILMETTE, IL — Two seniors who attend Loyola Academy and five at New Trier High School were awarded $2,500 cash scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation last week.

The seven local soon-to-be grads included residents of Glencoe, Northfield, Wilmette and Winnetka.

The students are 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.

The 2022 winners of $2,500 National Merit scholarships include the following Loyola Academy seniors:

John P. Phillips, of Wilmette, who has a probable career field in law.

Amanda M. Rajkovich, of Winnetka, who has a probable career field in health care.

These five New Trier High School students were also awarded cash scholarships, according to the May 11 announcement from National Merit:

Stefan M. Gjaja, of Wilmette, who has a probable career field in applied mathematics.

Abigail E. Miller, of Glencoe, who has a probable career field in law.

Aidia M. Steen, of Wilmette, who has a probable career field in environmental science.

Luke C. Schuette, of Winnetka, who has a probable career field in health care.

Brendan T. Warshauer, of Northfield, who has a probable career field of economics.

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 — including Wilmette resident Patrick Jamieson — 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: 30 New Trier Area Seniors Named National Merit Semifinalists