Two Loyola Academy Seniors Named National Merit Scholarship Winners

WILMETTE, IL — Two graduating high school seniors from Loyola Academy have been named among the more than 2,900 winners of college-sponsored National Merit scholarships announced Wednesday.

This year, nearly 150 colleges and universities — 77 private and 72 public — are awarding between $500 and $2,000 a year for four years of undergraduate study.

Elizabeth O'Hara, of Chicago, was awarded a scholarship to Grinell College, a private school in Iowa. O'Hara plans to pursue a career in science and research, according to National Merit.

Emmett Boyd, of Wilmette, was awarded a National Merit scholarship sponsored by Vanderbilt University, a private school in Nashville, Tennessee. Boyd plans to pursue a career in the field of economics, according to National Merit.

O'Hara and and Boyd were among the five students from Loyola Academy's class of 2024 who were named National Merit semifinalists last fall based on the results of Preliminary SAT tests taken during their junior years, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, the Evanston-based nonprofit that has administered the program since 1955.

All semifinalists were required to submit a detailed application with an essay and a recommendation from a high school official in order to become eligible for scholarships.

Earlier this spring, five Wilmette residents graduating from New Trier High School were awarded $2,500 cash scholarships from National Merit and one was picked for a corporate-sponsored scholarship.

This year's final group of National Merit scholarships — about 700 more recipients — is due to be announced on July 10.

By then, nearly 6,900 recent high school graduates will have been awarded nearly $26 million in scholarships for their undergraduate studies.

Earlier: 5 Loyola Students, 36 From NTHS Named National Merit Semifinalists